Hunting for black gold
> The Robinsons of Turalla Truffles farm, near Bungendore in Canberra, welcomes visitors to hunt for the Périgord truffle
TURALLA TRUFFLES is located close to the town of Bungendore near Lake George, which is about 30 minutes’ drive from Australia’s capital Canberra in New South Wales.
During a recent media trip, courtesy of Destination NSW, we arrived at the farm one bitter cold morning and were warmly greeted by owner Damian Robinson, his wife Lindsay, and their 18-year-old daughter Willa, together with their team of adorable Jack Russell truffle dogs – Frisbee, Gecko, Eight, and Three Spot.
After a short briefing, we all piled into three vehicles, accompanied by the energetic Frisbee, and set out on a bumpy ride to one of the two truffieres (truffle orchards) on the farm.
Once we reached the gate to the orchard, we were asked to bleach our shoes before stepping into the truffiere, to avoid contaminating the hazel and oak trees, which are host to the black Périgord, one of the most prized truffles in the world.
Damian told us that the black Périgord, named after a region in France, can fetch upwards of A$800 (RM3,439) per kilogramme.
The black truffle (tuber melanosporum) is really a fungus which forms a symbiotic relationship with the roots of the oak and hazel trees, and the fruiting body – the edible truffle – is harvested in winter once it has matured.
It was amazing to watch Damian and Frisbee working together to locate the truffles.
After snifing around, Frisbee found a spot. Damian then knelt down, grabbed a handful of the earth and buried his face in it. He then gave a grin, a piece of dirt still on the tip of his nose.
We gathered around him, listening intently to his enthusiastic explanation on how to discern either a ripe or unripe truffle. This one was not ripe, he said.
We then moved from tree to tree, until he hit the jackpot and unearthed a cluster of round, wart-shaped truffles.
After the hunt, we adjourned to the house, where the Robinsons prepared a scrumptious lunch for us.
We all sat at the long kitchen table and talked about truffles, food, and the cold weather in Canberra.
On the topic of comfort food, Lindsay said she prefers “fresh, yummy food”, while for Damian, “taste and smell” are everything; so if the food tastes and smells good, he’s fine with it.
Lindsay served us the entrée, truffle camembert cheese, as well as other snacks to start.
These were followed by scallop nest – a lightly-seared Hokkaido scallop sitting on a small potato rosti drizzled with melted truffle butter and heated with a splash of Madeira. We topped it off with a shave of truffle.
Damian had bought some fresh pappardelle pasta from the market the day before, which he had cut into smaller pieces.
He then whipped up the most delectable pasta for us, featuring truffle butter, cream, and a healthy dose of fresh black truffle on top, accompanied by truffleinfused chicken fried in truffle butter with pecorino breadcrumbs.
This dish was served with a fresh garden salad, and tasted delicious.
While Damian was busy preparing our dessert, we took a walk in the vast garden with Lindsay who showed us the fantastic view. The sun was shining brightly by then.
For dessert, Damian offered us truffle ice cream, and truffleinfused cream topped with crushed honey-roasted hazelnuts.
We moved to the courtyard and enjoyed the dessert al fresco, admiring the beautiful garden and surroundings.
Damian, who is affectionately known in Canberra as ‘the farmer’s husband’, also shared the story of how he first started his truffle farm.
Surprisingly, he started out in a career that had followed a very different path.
He was once a sound engineer known for his electronica band, Wicked Beat Sound System (which had a gig at the closing of the 2000 Sydney Olympics).
The family moved to Bungendore that year, where Damian became fascinated by the idea of truffle growing.
Since they had several old oak trees in their garden, he decided to have them checked out.
Unfortunately, one grower told him the old trees could not be inoculated with the tuber melanosporum spores, so he decided to plant inoculated trees instead.
The rest, as they said, is history.
Besides growing truffle and holding regular truffle hunts for visitors, the Robinsons also raise cattle on the property.
Why the obsession with truffles?
“The romance,” Damian suggested with a mischievous grin. “Or perhaps it’s my French blood.”
Now, he heads the Canberra Truffle Festival which aims to promote the produce in the region. But he is disappointed that some members like to keep things to themselves.
“Truffle growers should get together to grow the business instead of fighting each other,” he said.