It is a supreme delicacy enjoyed by Mesopotamian rulers 4000 years ago and it remains one of the most prestigious foods in world cuisine. For this reason, in one of the few areas in Europe, in Istria Croatia, they decided to organize a truffle festival to honor this special mushroom.
The truffle is a mysterious and unique tuber, completely hidden underground. It does not have a plant suspended above the ground and, therefore, no human being is capable of detecting it, except a well-trained dog that tracks it by smell.
His Majesty, the Truffle … Simply more than a mushroom.
WHERE IN CROATIA ARE TRUFFLES FOUND?
The land of the Istrian peninsula consists of two types of soil texture; intense red in the coastal zone and clay gray in its central part. The truffle grows exactly in this gray soil. Its epicenter is in the Bermuda truffle triangle, between Pazin, Buje and Buzet, in the moist Motovun forest, constantly moistened by the Mirna River that flows through its forests.
ABOUT THE TRUFFLE FESTIVAL
Giancarlo Zigante has always lived with truffles, but for the last 25 years he has dedicated himself to his mission: to bring them closer to all who are not lucky enough to live in the world of truffles. For years now, everyone can enjoy the Zigante Truffle Days or as the world knows it, the Truffle Festival.
The truffle fair is also an international exhibition of Croatian gastronomy. Local wine and other indigenous Istrian products, such as Istrian Serrano ham, sausages, cheese, honey, olive oils, brandy… are presented there in culinary workshops.
On festival days, you will also see the truffle hunting demonstrations in the forest and various tastings, where visitors can taste truffle-based specialties that will be presented on their plates by the best chefs.
If you have questions like:
How to choose a truffle?
How to correctly value it?
How to store / preserve?
How to eat?
At the truffle festival you will learn all the fragrant and sensory secrets of these precious mushrooms.
WHERE AND WHEN IS THE TRUFFLE FESTIVAL CELEBRATED?
Every year in autumn, in the village Livade in Croatian Istria, they organize the truffle festival and celebrate the “Truffle Days“. A unique event that brings together numerous national and foreign guests who come from all over the world, to taste this gastronomic specialty and other exceptional flavors of Istrian delicacies.
The “Truffle Day” events begin in mid-September, although the most important are the months of October and November. These events are actually a succession of truffle-themed days, which take place every weekend in these months.
If you are a person who would like to try this specialty, write to us and we will organize a route in which we will include a stroll through the land of truffles and where you can participate in the truffle festival in Istria Croatia. Whether being a cultural trip or a leisure trip, adding a little bit of truffles to your menu, will be one more step to creating unforgettable memories.