Kuvhima

Kuvhima, if I have spelled that correctly, translates to "hunting" in the Shona language. The assumption is that when you go kuvhima you return with meat of some sort: rabbits, pheasants, game not fungus. Well I’m in the Piedmont region so the idea of returning home with fungus is more than acceptable, if not praised.

Properly dressed in boots of all sorts we went hunting for the sought after fungus that grows in the depth of the earth known as a truffle. Although it felt like a game of nascondino/ verstoppertje-(my attempt to say "hide and seek" in Italian and Dutch)  Tartufo nero  and  Tartufo Bianco di Alba were found. It was a fascinating experience watching our hunting dogs Kira and Zorro sniff their way through the woods as us humans trudged behind them in search of the hidden treasures. Frantic digging of the earth signalled to us that treasure had been found. When successfully retrieved we marvelled at our piece of expensive fungus and the dogs got a tasty treat in return.

The truffle has a certain je ne sais quoi to it. With its rich, and slightly pungent aroma, the truffle is for me an acquired taste. That being said you can do a lot with them. The truffle was guest star in some of these products that we tasted: honey, butter, cheese, salami, preserves, oil to name a few. 

It was a day well spent hunting and tasting expensive fungus. Not your ordinary hunting experience, but one that has a lot of money to it as a single truffle can cost roughly anywhere between €25 to a few thousand Euro.