Truffle season in Istria: when, where and how to taste it

Autumn in Istria smells of woodsmoke, new olive oil and truffles. The peninsula is one of the few places in Europe where the white truffle grows wild, and from September the inland towns above the Mirna valley build their autumn around it. If you are staying near Poreč, truffle country is close enough for an afternoon.

What makes Istrian truffles special

Two kinds matter to visitors. The white truffle (Tuber magnatum) is the rare and expensive one: it cannot be farmed, it is found only by trained dogs, and it is eaten raw, shaved thinly over warm food so its aroma rises. Black truffles are more common, keep better and appear on menus for much more of the year, often cooked into sauces.

The white truffle grows in damp, shaded forest soil. In Istria that means the oak and ash woods along the Mirna river, above all the Motovun forest, which covers about 10 km² of the valley floor below the town of Motovun. Part of it is specially protected.

When to come

The white truffle ripens in autumn. The regional tourist board groups the season’s events as Istrian White Truffle Days, which usually run from early September to early November:

• Motovun opens the season in early September and hosts a Teran and truffle weekend in mid-October.
• Livade, the village at the foot of Motovun, holds truffle weekends through October.
• Buzet closes the season with the Istrian Truffle Festival in early November and is also known for the giant truffle omelette made at its Subotina festival in September.

Exact dates change each year, so check the programme on istra.hr before you plan around a festival. Outside the festivals, October and November are the months when fresh white truffles are most likely to be on the menu.

How to taste truffles

In a konoba

Inland taverns serve truffles in a handful of classic ways:

• Fuži or pljukanci with truffles: hand-made Istrian pasta tossed in butter and shaved truffle. The simplest dish and often the best.
• Fritaja: a soft omelette, finished with shaved truffle.
• Beef carpaccio or steak with truffle: common on menus in Motovun and Livade.

White truffle is usually priced by weight and added at the table, so ask how the dish is charged before you order.

Truffle hunting

Several family businesses in the Motovun and Buzet area take visitors into the forest with their dogs. You walk for an hour or two, watch the dogs work and usually finish with a tasting. Book ahead in autumn, wear boots, and expect damp ground under the trees.

Taking truffles home

Fresh white truffle lasts only a few days. Wrap it in kitchen paper, keep it in a closed jar in the fridge and change the paper daily. Truffle oils, salts and pastes are easier to carry, but read the label: many “truffle oils” are flavoured with aroma rather than real truffle.

A truffle afternoon from Poreč

From the coast, the road inland climbs through vineyards to the Mirna valley. A good plan for an autumn afternoon:

1. Drive to Livade for lunch with truffles.
2. Continue up to Motovun and walk the town walls at sunset. Our Motovun guide has the details.
3. Return to the coast for dinner, or cook at the villa with a truffle bought in Livade.

Autumn is also when the olive harvest begins, so it pairs well with a visit to an olive oil producer. See our guide to Istrian olive oil.

Where to stay

Our villas are on the Poreč side of Istria. From Villa Bina and Villa Cvita Domenica in Labinci, the drive inland to the Mirna valley is a little shorter than from the coast, and Villa Bina has a fireplace for cool October evenings. Villa Duga, just north of Poreč, has one too.