Truffle hunting in Istria
Unlike France and Italy, Croatia is not commonly recognized as a place to hunt truffles. On the contrary, the region of Istria, the largest peninsula in Croatia, is rich and brimming with truffle sites. Amidst the many olive groves and medieval towns set high upon the hillsides in this particularly picturesque part of Croatia, these delicious gastronomy delights are just waiting to be hunted and divulged in the most pleasurable of surroundings.
Autumn and early winter is with question the best season to hunt truffles, as it is during the cooler months following summer when truffles are at their whitest, and it is white truffles that are the most tasty, expensive and lucrative.
With its masses of vineyards, the Istrian village of Motovun produces some of the most impressive wine Istria has become renowned for. But it is in the Motovun forest, which extends over a vast of 986 hectares, where the largest habitat of truffles in Istria can be found. It is besides the mighty Mirna River on the slopes of the Mirna Valley, which runs through the Motovun forest, where these aphrodisiac delights are most commonly hunted for. During the autumn months and into early winter, truffle hunters can be readily seen in this area seeking out truffles in the early morning sun, many of whom stay in a shabby log cabin hidden amongst the trees known as the Mirna.
Whilst truffle hunting in Istria does not date back that far, only as far as the early 1930s, today because of the profitably of the practise, it is one of the main sources of income in this part of Istria and reason to why so many young people stay in the area.
The truffle hunting season in Istria begins on October 1 and lasts until the end of December.
To find out more about Istria and truffle hunting in the Motovun Forest click here.