Truffle hunting

To locate and unearth truffles, rabassiers (truffle hunters as called in Provence) still use the same centuries-old traditional method. In short, truffle hunters depend on specially trained pigs or dogs to sniff out the hidden treasures. Female pigs have an innate ability to smell truffles because the tuber secretes a pheromone that resembles the sex hormone secreted by wild boars. Dogs are more commonly used for truffle hunting today, as they can be more easily trained to simply find the truffles and not eat them!