If you're looking for an original activity during your vacation in the Luberon, we'd definitely recommend a truffle hunt! Truffles are one of the symbols of Provence, but almost impossible to find without a guide and his truffle dogs.
Three hours of truffle hunting with a guide
Provence Web recommends the services of a Provençal truffle-hunting guide who will explain everything you need to know about truffles, take you to find them in the forest with his dogs and, of course, let you taste ultra-fresh truffles and learn everything you need to know about Provence truffles.
Here's how the tour will work:
Explanations on the life of the truffle
First, the local guide will explain where truffles grow naturally (under an oak tree, with no grass around the base), in what soil, with what level of humidity and climate. He'll explain how repeated droughts now threaten the Luberon truffle. He'll explain how the truffle reproduces, how it grows, how it acquires its fragrance (which lasts only a few days). He'll describe the different varieties of Provence truffle (black truffle, Tuber melanosporum, summer truffle known as “Périgord”).
Explanations on truffle dogs
He'll also explain how to train a truffle dog. He'll also explain how to train a truffle dog: how to teach him to recognize the smell of truffles through play and reward, and how to dig them up in the wild without damaging them. The dog is now preferred to the truffle pig, because unlike the pig, the dog does not eat the truffle (it exchanges it for a piece of sausage).
Truffle hunting with dogs.
Your guide will take you to an area where truffles are plentiful, and you'll be able to watch three wonderful little dogs in action. The dogs sniff the ground and start digging frantically at a depth of around fifteen centimetres as soon as they smell a truffle. You can then easily dig it out yourself, using a small metal lever that the guide will give you. In one trip, we found over twenty truffles. It's great fun to run to the dogs as soon as they start digging for these precious Provencal mushrooms.
Truffle tasting with champagne
And then comes the moment of recompense: a truffle tasting with a glass of champagne (or grape juice made on site for those who don't drink alcohol). The guide will show you 5 different ways of tasting fresh truffles. A real delight! Truffles are elegantly flavored, not too strong - a real delight! Your guide will explain why fresh truffles are a hundred times better than the ones you eat in restaurants, which are unfortunately often less fresh. The guide will also teach you how to recognize a fresh, fragrant truffle from a tasteless frozen one. Finally, it will teach you to beware of certain scams involving industrial products claiming to contain truffles, when in fact they contain none or too few. At the end of the tour, you can also take away truffle-based products (fresh truffles, truffle honey, truffle olive oil) or wines from the estate. In short, truffle lovers will be delighted!
Book your truffle hunt in Vaucluse
If you'd like to spend three wonderful hours discovering the culinary gem that is the truffle, then you can book a slot with our recommended guide below. There is approximately one session per week and pre-booking is compulsory. The tour is exclusively in English and takes place near Cadenet in the Luberon. It will be a wonderful souvenir of your stay in Provence. Booking is compulsory and can be done online below: