Truffle Hound

The scent of just one freshly unearthed white truffle in a Barolo forest was all it took to lead Rowan Jacobsen down a rabbit hole into Truffleland - a world of secretive hunts, misty woods, black-market deals, obsessive chefs, quixotic scientists, muddy dogs, maddening smells, and some of the most memorable late-night meals ever created. Truffles attract dreamers, schemers, and sensualists. People spend years training dogs to find them underground (or pay absurd amounts for a ringer). They plant entire forests of oaks and wait a decade for truffles to appear. They pay $3,000 a pound to possess them. They turn into quivering puddles in their presence. Why? 'Truffle Hound' is an account of Rowan's quest to find out.