Discover a delicious delicacy: truffles. Serge Uzan/Pixabay

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Nadine was excited. She scampered along a haphazard route, pausing now and then to sniff the ground. Occasionally she dug in the dirt, her breath quickening and eyes widening.

But she was not permitted to complete the excavation she had begun. That task was finished by Vanessa, who distracted Nadine with a tasty treat and used a trowel to discover and uncover the object of their search: a muddy brown truffle.

Nadine is a dog, but she’s far from an ordinary canine; she’s trained to find truffles. I recently accompanied her and her handler, Vanessa Shea, on a hunt for those elusive, rather unattractive fungi that more than make up in value what they may lack in appearance.

This quest took place at Virginia Truffles, a family-owned and operated enterprise in Rixeyville, Virginia, a sleepy community within a two-hour drive from Washington, D.C. During the harvest season, December through February, the farm conducts hunting excursions beneath the trees in their truffle orchard.

History of truffles

My experience began with an introduction to everything truffle, delivered around a blazing fire pit by Vanessa, her sister Olivia and their mother, Patrice. My fellow adventurers and I benefitted from our hosts’ comprehensive knowledge, which included historical facts, modern practices and recipes for using these highly prized gastronomic gems in a variety of ways.

For example, who knew that truffles were prized at the time of the Egyptian, Greek and Roman empires, that the Medieval Catholic Church largely banned consumption of “the devil’s fruit,” and that they were a favorite food of French Queen Catherine de Medici and King Louis XIV?

Modern truffling is said to have evolved when French farmers observed their pigs uprooting a favorite food and then trained them for the hunt. However, pigs love truffles and often consumed their prize before the farmer could rescue it, so trackers began training dogs, who happily work for canine treats.

The target of the hunt is an edible fungus that grows several inches underground beneath tree branches. Favorite hosts are oak and hazelnut trees.

While there are no definitive figures for the number of planted orchards in the United States, Margaret Townsend, president of the North American Truffle Growers Association, estimates the number to be as high as 400. In addition to Virginia, they span the country from Maryland, Kentucky and Tennessee to Idaho, Oregon and California.

After learning that Virginia Truffles’ owners waited 10 years after planting their seedlings before they got their first, rather miniscule harvest and that their crop is retrieved during the truncated December-to-March harvesting time frame, I concluded that raising truffles is as much an art as a science, and qualifies as a labor of love.

Post-hunt buffet

The love between human and dog was evident as Nadine and Vanessa walked rapidly through the orchard, Vanessa repeating, “Where’s the truffle?” Our trek lasted a little over an hour and produced five black truffles.

A post-hunt mini-buffet included carrot soup, deviled eggs, brie cheese and pastrami, all enhanced with fresh truffle shavings or slices. While the earthy, pungent odor of the tubers Nadine unearthed was almost too strong for my nostrils or taste buds, the hints of truffle in the food added a unique dimension that I found easy to enjoy but difficult to describe.

During a post-snack visit to the farm’s small on-site laboratory, Patrice described the truffle-cleaning process, which includes cutting out any rotted areas. She described the truffle-grading guidelines adopted by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. She also mentioned that some of the tubers the farm sells to nearby white-tablecloth restaurants are priced at more than $120 an ounce.

Patrice also listed some of the many ways truffles add flavor to a variety of foods, several of which were demonstrated and enjoyed during our snack. While some dishes seem like a natural fit — think eggs, soup, mashed potatoes, sauces, dips, butter and cream — the possibilities for using truffles to titillate taste buds are virtually endless.

Having been hooked by the distinctive scent, lore and taste of this nondescript but delicious flavor enhancer, I purchased truffle-infused salt and pepper to bring home and enjoy, along with memories of a unique experience that long will linger in my mind and on my palate.

Truffle hunts are scheduled through February for $130 or $288 with dinner. For more information, visit virginiatruffle.com.