A truffle hog is any

domestic pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), often called swine, hog, or domestic pig when distinguishing from other members of the genus '' Sus'', is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is variously considered a subspecies of ''Su ...

used for locating and extracting the fruit bodies of the fungi known as

truffle A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus ''Tuber''. In addition to ''Tuber'', many other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including '' Geopora'', '' Pe ...

s from

temperate forest A temperate forest is a forest found between the tropical and boreal regions, located in the temperate zone. It is the second largest biome on our planet, covering 25% of the world's forest area, only behind the boreal forest, which covers abou ...

s in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and North America. Pigs have an exceptional sense of smell, and are able to identify truffles from as deep as three feet underground. It is thought that the natural sex hormones of the male pig are similar to the smell of the truffles; pigs also have a natural affinity for rooting in the earth for food. However, they are trained to hunt truffles by walking on a leash through suitable groves with a keeper.

History

The use of pigs to hunt truffles is said to date back to the

Roman Empire The Roman Empire ( la, Imperium Romanum ; grc-gre, Βασιλεία τῶν Ῥωμαίων, Basileía tôn Rhōmaíōn) was the post-Roman Republic, Republican period of ancient Rome. As a polity, it included large territorial holdings aro ...

, but the first well-documented use comes from the Italian

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ide ...

writer and gastronomist,

Bartolomeo Platina Bartolomeo Sacchi (; 1421 – 21 September 1481), known as Platina (in Italian ''il Platina'' ) after his birthplace (Piadena), and commonly referred to in English as Bartolomeo Platina, was an Italian Renaissance humanist writer and gastro ...

, in the 15th century. Later references to truffle pigs include

John Ray John Ray FRS (29 November 1627 – 17 January 1705) was a Christian English naturalist widely regarded as one of the earliest of the English parson-naturalists. Until 1670, he wrote his name as John Wray. From then on, he used 'Ray', after ...

in the 17th century. In 1875, a truffle hog could cost up to 200 francs. A skilled truffler could more than make up for this investment from the high price of truffles on the gourmet food market. It is frequent for the hog to be a family pet of the truffler. In

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, the use of pigs in truffle hunting has been prohibited since 1985, as the animals can cause damage to the

mycelia Mycelium (plural mycelia) is a root-like structure of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching, thread-like hyphae. Fungal colonies composed of mycelium are found in and on soil and many other substrates. A typical single spore germinates in ...

of truffles while digging, reducing the production rate for a number of years.

Truffle hounds

Today, dogs—known as truffle hounds—are commonly used for gathering truffles in place of truffle hogs, as pigs have been known to eat too many truffles in the field. Unlike pigs, dogs have no natural affinity for truffles, and must be specially scent-trained to locate them. A trained Lagotto Romagnolo (an Italian dog breed recognized for its truffle-finding capability) can cost up to $10,000. Stealing such dogs is a common crime among rival hunters. However, traditionalists argue that truffle hogs have more sensitive noses and their particular taste for truffles leads to a more devoted animal.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Truffle Hog Pigs Working animals Truffles (fungi)

History

Truffle hounds

See also

References