La truffe would have been the word of the day but it was recently featured as one of the Hardest Words to Pronounce. So enjoy this new term, taken from Tim and Gary's story:
"PORTE et FENETRE"
: a mutt, a crossbreed
Example Sentence & Sound File:
La dénomination bâtard, croisé, corniaud, coin de rue, porte et fenêtre, et j'en passe parce qu'il y en a beaucoup, n'est en rien insultant ou dévalorisant pour le chien, c'est juste une dénomination, cela n'enlève rien au qualité du chien. (Luvic, Forum-Chien.com)
The name bastard, cross, mongrel, street corner, door and window, and I won't go on because there are many, is not insulting or devaluing for the dog, it is just a denomination, that does not detract from the quality of the dog. (Google translation of Luvic's comment)
=> LISTEN: Hear Jean-Marc read the French sentence above
(Dear Reader, let us know in the comments below how you manage to listen to the recording while looking the example sentence. A few of you have written in, asking for help with this issue. Merci!)
TRUFFLE HUNTING
by Gary McClelland and Tim Averill
Above the sound of the cigales and the breeze, we heard “ching, ching” interrupted now and then with a firm “arrête!” as we chased after Christophe and his truffle-hunting dog extraordinaire Cacahuète (“Peanut”). Our notion that truffle hunting was an old man’s stroll in the afternoon shade was replaced with the reality of dashing between trees in the early morning sun. Christophe must keep up with Cacahuète because, even as a porte-fenêtre (mutt, literally, “in the door and out the window”), he has developed a taste for truffles and if given the chance is “une chienne voleuse.” We thought perhaps “ching ching” was Provençal for “chien,” but Christophe explained it was his version of “Tiens, tiens, indicating to Cacahuète that a dog treat reward was being offered. This works about three out of four times.
Even when Cacahuète was digging atop a truffle, it was difficult for us to see it until Christophe dug it up with his knife. A few times Christophe cut off a small piece of truffle for Cacahuète to maintain his interest. Christophe did not want his beloved Cacahuète to get too hot so we harvested for about an hour, gathering about 750 grams of summer truffles that usually go for about 100 Euros/kg. A few of the truffles were pourri (spoiled, rotten), but most were ready for market.
We had been introduced to Christophe by our favorite Bédoin boulanger Jean-Pierre. Before and after our chase through his plantation of 1,500 live oaks, we sat around a table in the shade of a tree, discussing truffles, and eating Jean-Pierre’s bread and croissants with truffle butter made from the more luxurious black winter truffles, and looking towards Le Mont Ventoux, le Géant de Provence, in one direction and towards a tall ochre cliff in the other. We were very good at this part of the truffle hunting process!
Christophe, tall, lanky, and about 35, spoke with a lilting Provençal accent at a relaxed pace that was accessible even to non-Francophone listeners. He told us the story of inheriting this land from his father and deciding to plant trees to cultivate truffles, which grow around the root system of live oaks. He started small and initially the trees did not produce, but with agronomic advances and additional plantings, he began to see enough production to make truffles a business. Christophe’s affable mood only turned when Lauren asked him about truffle oil. “Ça n’existe pas. Ce n’est que de la chimie.” Like other artisans we have met in Bédoin, Christophe sees his work as a calling, an avocation rather than as a way to earn a living. He shared a few of his truffle secrets but we will not divulge them here!
FRENCH VOCABULARY
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la chasse aux truffes = truffle hunt
la cigale = cicada
arrête! = stop!
la cacahuète = peanut
une chienne = female dog
voleur/voleuse = thief
tiens = here you go
porte et fenêtre = mutt
pourri = rotten
Bédoin = a village in the Vaucluse
le boulanger = baker
Le Géant de Provence = The Giant of Provence (a.k.a. Le Mont Ventoux)
ochre (from Old French ocre)
Dear Reader, help out with these last two terms regarding truffle oil–in the context in which they were used in today's story. Use the comments link at the end of this post.
Ça n’existe pas =
Ce n’est que de la chimie =
Don't miss Tim's post "False Friends: Faux Amis in French"
Be sure to read Gary's other posts including one about the beloved game of Pétanque, here.
Click on the links to order:
Truffle BUTTER – Ingredients: French butter, white truffle (Tuber Magnatum Pico), natural white truffle extract, sea salt.
Truffle SALT – imported straight from France
Truffle ZEST : Vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free – made with real truffles, can be added to everything such as soups, potatoes, vegetables, eggs, rice, pasta, pizza and sushi.
Field Guide to North American Truffles: Hunting, identifying, and enjoying the world's most prized fungi
BORDEAUX AND THE DORDOGNE small group tour Sept 18-26 – culture, cuisine & wine. Click here for itinerary.
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“Ça n’existe pas. Ce n’est que de la chimie.” “That doesn’t exist. It’s only chemistry.”
Interesting ~ a person pays quite a lot for the illusion of tasting truffles in the oil one purchases. It’s good to read between the lines in the definition: truffle oil is a modern culinary ingredient used to impart the flavor and aroma of truffles to a dish.
Kristin, this brought back some lovely memories of Bedouin—the first market we experienced in Provence–and those wonderful truffle stories that Peter Mayle recounts. Thank you!
Ça n’existe pas= There’s no such thing!
Ce n’est que de la chimie= It’s just a commercial product/ creation.,( or even “a concoction” if it is regarded in a negative light?)
Here in Australia ( where truffles are harvested at a different time of the year: jobs for dogs, yes!) , I believe that it is more common to call such products “truffled oil”.
I wonder if truffles should always be added fresh to a dish? I have heard of truffles being stored with eggs to impart their flavour to the eggs. Although I have tasted truffles in dishes, I have never cooked with them myself, malheureusement! They are becoming more available in Australia though now that we grow our own.
To listen to the recording while looking the example sentence, follow these simple steps. It may sound tedious but it took me less than 2 minutes.
1. Click on the “listen” link which says “LISTEN: Hear Jean-Marc read the French sentence above”
2. You get a message at bottom of your screen saying, “Do you want to open or save croise-porte-et-fenêtre?”
3. I click on “Save as” and it goes to my Desktop (on your system it might go to Your Documents folder?). The saved file then has a little blue circle logo plus the title of croise-porte-et fenêtre
4. I open the (it’s labelled itself MP3) sound file on my desktop
5. But of course I’ve left open the blog screen with Jean-Marc’s words
6. No rush, I look at the blog screen while in the background Jean-Marc reads …
I do hope this helps someone. Without irritating the techno-savvy blog community of friends.
Ça n’existe pas = there is no such a thing
Ce n’est que de la chimie = it’s nothing but chemistry/ all it is is chemistry
Thank you, Margaret!
Lovely story, makes me want to learn more.
Thank you.
Bonjour! I right click on the link and then click on “Open in new window.” Then I have both written and oral material in front of me. Je vows remercie de ceci festin quotidian.
Cullen
I did a quick search and learned from an article in the New York Times entitled “Hocus-Pocus and a beaker of truffles”, that most commercially produced truffle oil is not made from truffles, it is a chemically produced product. Here is a link to the article. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/16/dining/16truf.html
My chef mentor in 1976-1977, bought a fat Perigord truffle in a 9th Avenue food market one day, and stored it in a gallon jar filled with Arborio rice. It kept the truffle fresh, and the aroma of the tuber was absorbed by the rice – which when cooked, had the flavor of truffle. In the Fall of ’76, he mounted a Buffet de la Chasse (hunt buffet) every Sunday, and the members of Dutchess Valley Rod & Gun Club would partake of the many extraordinary game dishes that Pater van Erp created. It was a magical time indeed.
Thanks for the link, Leslie. What a dodgy practice. Kristi, you are so fortunate to live among other artisan producers, men and women as devoted to their precious natural products as Jean- Marc is to his vines and wines. Below is a link to an Australian article. Some French chefs who have done culinary visits to Australia have complimented our truffles.
Thank you to all the farmers and producers all over the world who look after their produce with pride and integrity.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-07-11/truffle-boom/5590008
porte-fenetre may be the most delightful French idiom I’ve ever know. Perfect!
Truffle hunting – sounds so fun! Kristi, what a good time you must have had.
As for how I listen to the recordings, I click on the link in the email twice, so it opens the blog in two browser tabs. In one of the tabs, I click on the link to hear Jean-Marc’s recording. Then, I go to the other tab so I can read along.
I, TOO, ASSOCIATE TRUFFLES WITH PETER MAYLE’S STORIES THEY ARE SO EXPENSIVE THAT I HAVEN’T BOUGHT ONE, EVEN IN PERIGORD, BUT GLAD SO MANY PEOPLE DO “SPLURGE”.
In the Piedmont region of Italy, where white truffles are found, the tradition used to be that the largest truffle found each year was sent as a gift to someone famous. In the late 1940’s it was sent to President Truman, packed in a jar of Arborio rice. Some weeks later, the people of Piedmont received a letter of thanks from the president, who apparently had never seen a white truffle. The letter said, in part, that “The potato you sent me was unfortunately spoiled. But the rice was delicious!”
My friend in Provence, a chef, says the same thing about truffle oil – that it’s just chemistry. Like a lot of Provencaux, he buys truffles at the winter markets, usually in February when the prices are lowest, then freezes them and eats them throughout the year.
I am amazed at the people you meet and the adventures you find through them. It made me take a look at my life to see what and who I may be missing. Perhaps I need to start more conversations with strangers, stop to talk to my neighbors more often, etc. Things don’t happen by chance (very often) so I realize I need to help make things happen. This is my new goal for this Spring!
Our dear Kristi,
What a wonderful post!You totally captured both my attention and imagination with the pictures (especially Cacahuete!!)and the words(Thank you Jean Marc and also to Margaret for her help in listening to the recording!)
I also remember Peter Mayle’s experiences with truffles(!) but this is more fun because you shared it with us;we feel like extended family.
I admit that to me,truffles are an acquired taste.Not only for the cost,but also for their very distinctive aroma.
But how delicious to be open to new taste experiences.
Love
Natalia. xo
Hi Kristi, Hoping the allergies are all gone for you!!
What I do so as to both hear Jean-Marc speak and to read what he is saying, I click on the LISTEN TO JEAN-MARC AND THEN I CLICK BACK TO THE EMAIL TO READ AS HE SPEAKS. This works very well.
A delightful article on truffle hunting, but I have no experience with truffles but by way of the A YEAR IN PROVENCE movie which I love to watch.
God bless, C-Marie
Great story! I told my French friend, Danielle, that we called mixed breeds ‘Heintz 57″ and why..and she said they called them “Accident at the Crossroads”..and I don’t remember the French translation, but I am sure some of your readers know it! Hugs,
Hi, Natalia, all credit goes to Gary and Tim, who went on the truffle hunt, wrote the story and took the pictures. Thank you for your positive words.
What a wonderful read!! My thanks to you, Kristi and Jean-Marc, and to Christophe and “Cacahuète”, Gary and Tim and all others who added to this delightful post. I had to chuckle when I read that “Cacahuète” had developed a taste for truffles, but being a French dog one could expect this, I suppose. … loved that “Cacahuète” was given a tiny nibble of truffle to encourage him to keep digging.
I read somewhere that the prestigious Westminster Dog Show in NYC is going to have categories in which “mutts” (they would use a fancier word) can compete such as obedience and agility. No doubt they will win it hands down! Do the French have competitions with their truffle dogs? Somehow, I think not since it is such a serious business. Many thanks, again.
Great story today – sounds like you had a lot of fun! I’m adding “Cacahuète” to my difficult words to pronounce. I’m not even sure how to pronounce it! It looks like it should be easy but I get all tongue-tied. Since I don’t like mushrooms (I know I’m a heathen), I never contemplated even trying a truffle! But, maybe they taste a lot different from mushrooms – there sure are many, many who swear that they are the best of the best to eat!
ka-ka-wet (or ka-ka-whet) will get you understood
I read the phrase first and say it out loud. Then I listen to the recording, and say it out loud again after hearing it.
I haven’t been able to figure out how to listen to the sound clip and read the text either. Maybe a video rather than a sound file?
What a delightful recounting of the day. I could almost smell the soil and hear the cicadas. That portion of life in France was one I didn’t get to enjoy while we were there.
I click on the link to hear the spoken word and it come up on a black screen where I click on the arrow to art the recording. It is a large window but doesn’t take up the whole screen, so I just click on the screen behind it that has the blog and it takes precedence, while the recording continues. that’s on a Mac. maybe it’s easier on a Mac.
And.. ochre? did you mean the color? the claylike earth?
As for me, I don’t care for truffles — their taste, the infused oil, or their scent.
whoops — spelling mistakes –…
Thank you for sharing this wonderful story! I almost felt like I was there. Merci!
Kristi, I can’t get to the attached recording. I’ve never had a problem before. Is there a change? YIKES! Eileen XO
Hi Eileen,
Sometimes the location of the link changes. This time it is after the English translation of the example sentence. It is a hyperlink – you have to click on the prompt that says something like Hear Jean-Marc pronounce the sentence. Let us know how you do.
I wonder if Gary or Tim might have any suggestions about how to find a truffle “farmer” in my region of provence since I’m located only about an hour away from Bedoin. I would LOVE to go along on a truffle hunt if I could find someone as generous as Christophe. Maybe I should just ask my baker!
Indeed, ask around in your village. But be aware that truffle hunters are somewhat secretive. As you move about your area by car, bike, or foot, keep a look out for plantings that look like this: http://www.truffe-noire.fr/en/the-domain-and-the-plantation/
Then ask the owner if you might have a tour. But the boulangeriere might be the best source of info.
Hey guys! Have you ever think of training your dogs to hunt shroom? I’ve heard its a thing now. I came across some article of different kind of mushroom like this one in https://www.trufflemagic.com/blog/psilocybe-stuntzii/ and going to train my partner to hunt. How bout you guys?