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If you plan on buying truffles in France, the best would
be to go directly to the source: the peasants and the
truffle markets. There is one every day in different villages.
But the most important takes place in a little town of
northern Vaucluse: Richerenches. It is mostly dedicated
to the professionals.
Of course, buying at the market may be a little risky
as you might end up buying a truffle that isn't the "real
thing"! You could be buying a "Musquée"
instead of a "Tuber Melanosporum". The difference
between the two is hard to see sometimes as they look
really similar.
If you really want to buy, the best would probably be
to go to the Plantin factory which is only 10 minutes
away from Richerenches. You will be sure to get what you
will be paying for, and also a little tour of the factory!
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They
take place in the morning only during the winter truffle season
(end of November to March).
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-
Tuesday: Vaison-la-Romaine (very small)
- Wednesday: Valreas
- Thursday: Nyons (small)
- Friday: Carpentras
- Saturday: Richerenches (the most important)
- Sunday: Taulignan.
Hervé
Poron explaining how the market works to Chef Flora
Mikula (Flora - Paris)
and
Chef Laurent Manrique (Aqua - San Francisco).
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We will be mainly speaking about the truffle market of Richerenches
as it is the biggest: more than a ton of truffles can be traded
on a Saturday!
It usually starts around 9 AM till 12-1 PM.
When you arrive in the village, the air is filled with the perfume
that truffles exhale. You then expect to see them all over the
place, but you don't! The only thing you see are farmers holding
on to some bags. The transactions are nearly hidden, mostly because
people are dealing with a lot of cash: a broker can carry up to
US$15,000. More than one has been mugged on the way to the market!
At one time some even hired bodyguards!
On
the market you will see many different people: the brokers, the
farmers, a few manufacturers and some locals.
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The
brokers
The brokers usually stand by their car where they will
be doing all the buying. Usually the husband is by the
car trunk doing the buying and weighting the truffles
while is wife, seating in the front seat of the car,
will take care of the payments to the farmers.
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The
farmers
They come to the market to sell the truffles they have
harvested. Easy to recognize: just look for the people
holding on to a plastic bag like if it was gold!
None
of them are doing this as a full time job. All are farmers
that grow either vineyards, cherries, peaches, etc...
Hunting for truffles is more a hobby than anything else.
Growing vines is more valuable for them than planting
oak trees as it brings in more money.
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The
manufacturers
Only
a few come to the market depending on how far it is.
Plantin is just 10 minutes away from Richerenches which
makes it very easy for Mr. Hervé Poron to go
to the market nearly every week. By being on the market,
he remains aware of what is going on. Thanks to Hervé's
very good relationship with the brokers, he is able
to pick the best quality of truffles, as we can see
on this picture.
From
left to right: Mr Valayer and Mr Hervé Poron.
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