Croatia is home to some of the best—and most affordable—truffles in the world.

Truffles are considered an expensive delicacy. Istria, a diamond-shaped peninsula on the Adriatic Sea(Croatia), is one of the richest grounds for premium white truffles. It may seem surprising that a delicacy associated with Italy and France is found in Croatia. The truffles are discovered in Motovun Forest some 80 years ago, it has continued to be a culinary “hit"

There are 70 sorts of truffles in the world, of which 34 come from Europe. The traditional truffle-producing countries are Italy, France, and Spain, but Istrian forests boast three sorts of black truffles as well as the big white truffle (one of the most prized in the world, at 34,000KN per kilo)Around 5,000Euro.The kingdoms of the white truffle (Tuber magnatum) and black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) are hidden in the moist soil of Motovun forest, where these mushrooms grow in a mysterious symbiosis with tree roots at a depth of 10 to 30 cm.

Giancarlo Zigante found the world's largest truffle in Istria, weighing 1.31kg and making it into the Guinness Book of World Records. The Guinness World Records truffle was cast in bronze, and a copy is on display in the Zigante Tartufi Shop in Livade in which homemade products are sold.

Because no sign of the truffle appears above ground, no human can spot it, so dogs (or, traditionally, pigs) are the key to a successful truffle hunt. Only the most experienced Istrians and their canine companions are capable of sniffing out these potent subterranean fungi. Puppies begin their training at two months, but only about 20% of them go on to have fully fledged careers as truffle trackers. Dogs must learn how to identify the scent and dig without damaging buried truffles, a costly mistake that renders the fungi virtually worthless in the market.

Popular belief in its aphrodisiacal effect bolsters the magical cult of the truffle. Immediately after harvesting, the fresh truffle is either directly used as a food ingredient, or it is being processed in order to produce high quality products such as a variety of spreads, cheeses, oils, sweets, etc

Istria’s abundance of truffles has been a well kept secret from the rest of the international food world for years, and people are finally starting to take notice. There are three varieties of black truffle that can be found in the heart-shaped peninsula’s oak forests, as well as the more rare, premium white truffle.

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Truffles were appreciated by the Romans - they were believed to have grown as the result of God Jupiter throwing a lightning to an oak tree. Since Jupiter was known for its access sexual activities, truffle has been regarded as an aphrodisiac ever since.

So, I hope that I gave you another reason to visit my beautiful country Croatia

If you like to find out more about other Croatia great traditions you can find it in my previous posts

1. Easter eggs - Naive art

2. Bullfights in Croatia - secret/ controversial tradition

3. Olympics of old sports

4. Frog jump contest

5. Underwater winery

6. Croatian Bellman

7. Moreška Sword Dance

8. Boat Marathon on river Neretva

9. The biggest tie in the world