Digging up the dirt on where to find local truffles

“Who ever says truffle, pronounces a great word, which awakens erotic and gourmand ideas both in the sex dressed in petticoats and in the bearded portion of humanity.” J.A. Brillat-Savarin, Physiologie du Goût (The Physiology of Taste)

Though it’s been a long time since we’ve seen anyone in petticoats we’re pretty certain that these erotic and gourmand urges certainly must have been stirring in Eugene, Oregon January 29-31 as Eugene was the site of the Fifth Annual Oregon Truffle Festival.

Gathering together chefs, foragers, and fans of Oregon’s wild truffles is the mission of this truffle festival, now in its fifth year. The festival invites guests to experience the excitement of hunting for local truffles being pulled at peak ripeness from deep in the forest’s rich soil and satisfy their truffle cravings as noted area chefs prepare mouthwatering menus featuring this cherished local ingredient.

This year’s event also incorporates a side by side tasting of French and Oregon truffles to honor the long history of the truffle’s role in French cuisine as well as a hunt for this precious ingredient, led by with trained truffle hunting dogs. Experiences like this are near impossible to find here in the States and event founder, Leslie Scott, remarks, “I believe so much in what the festival is trying to do. We’ve got great chefs with amazing reputations at every one of our events. And with them we hope to revitalize our love of being around the table together and enjoying seasonal wild harvested foods, and how that stands for all the good things in life we’ve sort of lost touch with. We’re using a little town to tell the story of a food. This is a literal translation of the old world new/world metaphor we’ve used for the festival. We invite you to explore the lore of the old world, and come to the new world and see what it’s all about. It’s our own authentic way of enjoying this treasure around the table.”

For more details see: http://www.oregontrufflefestival.com/