First, a bit of an explanation. Truffles (when in Provence) refer to the black, dense tubers, aka mushrooms, that are available for the curious and the serious from early December through early March. They grow underground, from 20cm - 30cm normally (about a foot), and are not easily found by man alone. They begin to grow in April and are as susceptible to all the nuances of the seasons, the quirks of the year's weather as many an agricultural crop. Sufficient rain in the spring, a storm in late August early September, but not too much rain in October, an early frost in November, the ground not too hard throughout the winter, and a late arrival of spring and the peach blossoms... all these are necessary to be assured a good crop of truffles. Should it not rain enough in July, or should the winter arrive too gently, or should it snow and harden the ground for too long... the truffle crop will be badly affected, and the prices will sky-rocket. Already, it is not for the faint-hearted. The Tuber Melanosporum, the black truffle of Provence (or Perigord, depending on your regional affiliation) is priced these days from 2500FF - 3500FF/ kilo or $357 - $500 / kilo (in Euro this is in the range of 400 - 575). So, as an example, we spent 600FF ($85) the other day for 200grams. This bought us 4 truffles of early season quality (ok but not what they will be in 2 months) for dishes to feed 8, a 15 egg omelette, home-made pasta, foie gras and truffle stuffed quail...

To set the record straight, there are truffles available throughout the year, of differing color and intensity of aroma and depending on the cook, these other truffles either exist or do not. The most elusive and expensive truffle is the white truffle, named Alba, of Italy. There, you can enjoy a plate of pasta or risotto served with a truffle on the side, along with its own grater/ mandolin. You pay for the grams you consume (the truffle will be weighed in front of you before and after your meal).

Our truffle contact, H, is a regular courtier of the truffle market of Carpentras, one of the top 3 markets in the region, which happens every Friday morning at 9 AM on the nose from the last Friday of November through early March. With our group of fellow afficionados we headed out early from Arles, Erick weaving his way through the rush hour traffic of Avignon, to arrive at the market in time. You must be on time, as the market lasts no more than 15 minutes! H greeted us with a smile and the 3 "bises" of our region, and then the whistle blew and he entered the inner circle reserved for the courtiers (the official buyers). Along the outer circle were the sellers with their sacks open for inspection, and a few curious on-lookers (us). This day there were no more than 7 or 8 serious buyers, and sellers.

The season has just begun and it having been a mild November, the quality is apparently just so-so. Nonetheless, there are not many and the sellers want 3500FF/kilo, so if you must purchase for a restaurant or export, you are a bit at their mercy. Negotiations and interest handled, everyone reconvenes in the bistrot next door where the scales come out for proper weighing. The majority of the sellers weigh their truffles before they come to market. And these are weighed "in dirt" meaning not more than lightly brushed. Truffles keep better before they're cleaned. But this means that the buyer has to factor in about a 20% waste of what he purchases (dirt, rough spots...). The weight and approved price is noted on a small slip of paper, and then the buyer and seller go to the back of the bistrot where cash changes hands... and by the quantity of green 500 FF notes I saw, quite a bit!

There are numerous tricks either side can indulge in, but, this is risky as a reputation for integrity is also of utmost importance in this private sphere. Amongst the tricks on the side of the sellers is to mix in lesser truffles which can be of another variety, or simply soft (but hardened in the freezer for an hour) --which indicates slightly old--, extra dirt, a pebble or two.... But the sellers worry more about the sneakiness of the buyers who might attach chewing gum to their scale, or moisten the bottom of their slightly concave weight and collect some extra dirt there -- giving them the advantage and allowing them to declare that there are merely 160grams of truffles, not 200... or some such. Everyone uses the traditional Roman scales with brass weights and a bar held aloft.

This day we are in luck. Through our contact we are introduced to R who sells us his stash of particularly odiferous truffles (every time I reach into my sac, the scent wafts up...). We then sit down together for some coffee, chocolate and a chat amidst the "ambiance" of the bistrot watching money change hands (we're in the back) and breathing in the rich aroma of truffles. -- For once, a French bistrot where the dominant odor is not cigarettes! As we get cozy, R describes to us the importance of "terroir" for quality truffles. As it is important to vineyards and so much more. He then compares notes with his friend H on their truffle sniffing dogs. Apparently H's is a bit difficult (sniffing out truffles far away from his owner, he can dig them out and eat them before he catches up to stop him!). But R''s dog stays close by and is very alert to his master's wishes. And then we receive an invitation not sought, but infinitely welcome, to accompany Rene and his dog on a bit of a truffle hunt that afternoon.

Our market concluded, we wander a bit in Carpentras, and then head to a Ferme Auberge in Monteux for a royal lunch of Farm grown pork and turkey from which we roll back out the door and off to the base of Mt. Ventoux with R and his dog. The route is confusing and takes us deep into the countryside, along dirt roads, and into a landscape rich in colors, a sky swirled with hand-painted clouds hiding the peak of Mt. Ventoux, and in the valley, orchards, vineyards, with but one small hill town in view. Out comes our canine leader and as we follow gently behind, R encourages her to work her field. She performs splendidly and uncovers first a tiny truffle, no bigger than a pebble (be it the size of a pebble or the size of your fist, she shall react the same), a slightly unripe truffle (tinted reddish brown, and not yet black inside) and a perfect truffle of about half a fist, or 60grams.