Italy's Mesmerizing White Truffles: Extravagant Gourmet Delicacies with Lethal Consequences
Italy's precious white truffles are increasingly scarce due to climate change, while a disturbing trend of attacks on truffle-hunting dogs adds to the challenges faced by this coveted delicacy
More than 30 highly trained dogs were silently and stealthily massacred, with devastating impact, in central Italy's rural Abruzzo and Molise regions. These dogs were skilled at sniffing out valuable truffles that grow underground near the dank and musty roots of trees.
Last weekend, the local Carabinieri police forces animal protection unit reported that the dogs were poisoned. The dogs ingested meatballs containing metaldehyde and strychnine, which were deliberately concealed in areas where the dogs were likely to find them, unbeknownst to their owners.
This incident is just one of many cases in which sniffer dogs have fallen victim to the dangerous world of truffle hunting. According to animal rights groups, an average of 10 truffle dogs are killed in Italy each year. However, the actual number of deaths may be higher, as many cases go unreported, as stated by local hunting associations.
Hunters fear that killing three times the average in one go is meant to send a message.
Rising prices
The fall months are truffle hunting season in Italy.
The deaths have created a dark cloud over the lucrative network of hunters and traders that provide Italian white truffles to the world's most prestigious restaurants. This also calls into question the lack of regulations in one of Italy's oldest and least regulated industries.
This comes at a time when shifting weather patterns, attributed to the climate crisis, are diminishing truffle supplies and driving prices up. White truffles require damp, musty forests and fields to thrive, and the unprecedented heat and stifling droughts in Italy have impacted this season more than ever before.
At the same time, there has been a sharp increase in global demand for the pungent tuber among gourmets in recent years, further contributing to the rise in prices.
during the truffle season, running from September to November, a hunter accompanied by a skilled sniffer dog can make thousands of dollars a day. In 2022, a half-pound truffle was sold for $200,000 in an auction in Alba, Italy. Valued at $2,200 per pound in the current market, the white truffle is one of the most expensive foods globally. When transformed into delicacies, they often fetch over $400 for a tasting menu in cities like San Francisco and London.
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"The cost of the white truffle that a pretentious waiter shaves onto your plate in Tokyo, New York, or London," explained Simon Martin, a professor of modern Italian history and licensed truffle hunter, to CNN. "That's the reality; a dog convulsing and vomiting in a backstreet car park in the heart of Molise."
Martin, who sees himself as an amateur, believes that it ultimately comes down to the economics that govern the market.
Deepening intrigue
Truffle hunters, referred to as "tartufai," typically sell their findings to intermediaries, who then distribute them to restaurants, exporters, or personal chefs. In order to hunt on public land, truffle hunters must pass a test and obtain a certification. They must also adhere to regulations, such as ensuring their dogs are muzzled.
A seller smells white truffles at a truffle fair in northwestern Italy.
Marco Bertorello/AFP/Getty Images/File
The mystery of who is behind the poisonings is the real bone of contention in this saga, with different players in the truffle supply chain blaming each other.
According to one hunter interviewed by CNN, no local hunters were active at the time of the poisonings, even though it was the peak of the white truffle season. The hunter requested anonymity out of fear of reprisals from other hunters. CNN was unable to confirm whether any hunters were present in the area at the time, but local hunters who also spoke to CNN on the condition of anonymity denied having any prior knowledge of the poisonings.
Police verified that the victims were all dogs from other parts of the country who had traveled to the area after the discovery of large white truffles.
MSG, once the most misunderstood ingredient of the century, is finally seeing a change. Although an investigation has been launched into the deaths, no arrests or convictions have been made for the previous dog killings.
According to the local animal rights group, one reason for this is that dog owners often do not report the deaths of their dogs. This may be due to not properly registering, licensing, or microchipping their dogs according to hunting regulations. Additionally, some dogs may not have been wearing the required muzzles for hunting. Others may choose to remain silent due to fear of retaliation, as explained by Riccardo Germani, president of Italys National Association of Truffle Hunters, who mentioned incidents such as tire slashing and vehicle explosions being common in the truffle hunting community.
Code of silence
Italian white truffles are prized for their pungent flavors.
Miguel Medina/AFP/Getty Images
None of the owners of the 30 dogs killed last weekend have come forward to file a complaint, according to the local prosecutors office as reported by CNN. The Italian Association for Animal Protection and Environment, or AIDAA, is urging prosecutors to take action in response to this, and is calling for the area where the poisoning occurred to be closed for a year to prevent truffle hunting animals from being affected if there is still poison hidden in the underbrush. Additionally, AIDAA has requested that hunters break their code of silence.
The group wrote a letter to the local hunters associations expressing concern about the health of the dogs and the 30 deaths should not be ignored as if it were only important to truffle hunters. This letter was seen by CNN.
Fabio Cerretano, the national president of the National Federation of Italian Truffle Associations, stated that the recent killing of thirty dogs in a few days is a true massacre, and the truffle hunters should come forward with any suspicions they have about the perpetrator(s). However, many associations want the authorities to take charge instead, as they believe it is not a matter of conflict between truffle hunters, but a horrifying massacre.
"It is a madman, a criminal who carried out this shameful gesture killing off dozens of truffle hunters [dogs] to remain alone to search for truffles in that area."
Bogus Italian truffles
According to Germani, the president of Italys National Association of Truffle Hunters, the deaths of dogs are just the beginning of the issues plaguing the truffle hunting industry. He points to a lack of transparency in the origins of truffles sold by hunters, with imports from countries like Iran, Afghanistan, and Croatia often being falsely labeled as Italian products.
"The world of truffle hunting lacks adequate controls," he stated in an interview with CNN. "With the state failing to take action, it falls upon us to implement the necessary measures ourselves."
In a letter addressed to the Ministry of Agriculture following the dog massacre, he expressed, "The Italian truffle industry, a national treasure, is being negatively impacted by illegal and inhumane practices, as well as a lack of proper acknowledgment and appreciation."
Germani is advocating for the implementation of surveillance cameras in areas where poisonings occur, while also emphasizing the need for additional measures to be taken. He believes that it is crucial for the government to intervene in order to ensure that the search for truffles remains a sustainable and ethical practice, rather than being exploited by a few criminals for profit. Germani stresses the importance of protecting and promoting this cultural and gastronomic heritage in order to safeguard its integrity and ensure its longevity.
