{"id":5666,"date":"2025-11-14T10:02:48","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T09:02:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/villas-guide.com\/?p=5666"},"modified":"2025-11-17T10:00:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T09:00:19","slug":"autumn-in-istria-truffle-hunting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/villas-guide.com\/en\/blog\/autumn-in-istria-truffle-hunting\/","title":{"rendered":"Autumn in Istria \u2013 truffle hunting"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever been\u00a0truffle hunting<\/strong>? In fact, did you even know that truffles are \u201chunted\u201d? Even if you haven’t, we assume that you have at least heard of this delicacy, which, although it may not look the most attractive, is truly a delicacy. We recently had the opportunity not only to taste truffles, but also to participate in the hunt and spend a beautiful autumn day in the village of Paladini, in the heart of Istria. The Karli\u0107 family<\/a><\/strong>, who hosted us, go truffle hunting every day in a forest not far from the village.<\/p>\n

A young yet experienced guide led us on a truffle hunt with their two trained dogs, a Labrador called Stella<\/strong> and a Romagnolo called Lila<\/strong>. With the great help of the dogs, we managed to find a couple of red truffles and one black one. Dogs are more likely to perform a task if they are rewarded for doing so. So, as a reward for successfully hunting, they were given a treat<\/strong>, which is also an important part of their training.<\/p>\n

While it\u2019s all still fresh in our minds, here are a few interesting facts about truffles.<\/p>\n

Dogs<\/strong><\/h2>\n

In the past, pigs were used to hunt truffles because of their exceptional sense of smell. Nowadays, however, truffle hunting is done with dogs, specifically females, as they are more reliable than males. The choice of breed is not simple, either. Mixed breeds are usually chosen over purebreds because they are more obedient and have a more refined sense of smell. The best hunting breed is the\u00a0Lagotto Romagnolo<\/strong>, or Italian water dog. Training begins when the dogs are about 3 months old and is carried out by their future handler. Although training is serious, it is carried out in such a way that it seems like a playful game<\/strong> to the dogs. We saw this for ourselves when we watched them joyfully jumping and rolling in the leaves. \ud83d\ude0a When a dog smells a truffle and starts digging, the handler joins in to continue digging; otherwise, there is a risk that the dog will eat the truffle.<\/p>\n

One of the dogs that the Karli\u0107 family takes hunting is Truffy,\u00a0the first Dalmatian dog<\/strong>\u00a0to become an expert in truffle hunting.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n