MONDAY MUSINGS: THE NOSE KNOWS

MONDAY MUSINGS is about sniffing; both the good and the bad.  Our schnazzes come in all sizes and maybe the bigger, the better for their olfactory jobs. You'll see what I mean...

 

Some folks make their living by sniffing: 

Sommeliers, wine smellers.

Cogno scenti, a person who smells perfumes

food scientist, a chocolatier ...

or in the case of my most recent outing out in a forest in Tuscany, a dog who has a very specific use for her sense of smell.  

Meet Milli, considered one of the best  trained dogs to sniff out the special mushroom called truffles which grow off tree roots underground.

 Her owner, Paolo is the presiding president of the Truffle Associaton of the entire province of Siena. He trained his dogs, Milli and 2 others to sniff out these very valuable seasonal truffles. In the fall there are white truffles. But we were warned that rains were scarce during the most crucial time for truffles to grow this past summer. We would be lucky to encounter any... 

And from the disturbed earth it is evident that wild pigs, boars, have
beaten us to the area. Their damaging tracks are everywhere.

As Milli picks up a scent and begins to dig to uncover her find, Paolo interrupts her gently, clearing the area with one hand and can tell by the smell of the earth if a truffle is there...

 

Then Paolo uses his spear-like tool to dig down to find the truffle.  Milli is allowed to eat her first find of the day and from then on she is satisfied with just normal doggie treats. 

Thanks to Milli and  Paolo's perseverance, we luck out with 2 white truffles. 

The nose knows. We also get a whiff of this earthy mushroom.

The restaurant we went to for lunch is kind enough to use our truffles in our meals with Crostina di Tartufo,  as well as atop a fried egg. Yum.

Lucky, indeed, accompanying local pici pasta and a nice glass of local wine and dessert, a deconstructed cannoli to be shared.  

What a day with the wonderful walk in the woods on Paolo's land experiencing a truffle hunt, hearing about his efforts to foster preserving truffles by planting the right kind of trees and a lunch al fresco to enjoy Milli and Paolo's find. Returning to spend the remainder of the day sketching/ painting. 

My sniffer is beyond content.