For those who have never seen a truffle up close, the intense scent hits you first – something between forest floor and aged cheese. Then there is the flavour. Layered and difficult to pin down, a little of this unique fungi goes a long way. And just as well, given the black truffles can fetch up to $3500 a kilogram. This is due to a combination of their rarity, short season, the cost of growing and harvesting and, of course, the demand for their rich flavour.
Let’s dig further for truffle treasure.
An ancient obsession
Truffles have been prized for a long time, with the ancient Greeks and Romans early and enthusiastic consumers. Roman writer Pliny the Elder marvelled at the truffle’s mysterious ability to grow without roots or seeds, something that would baffle naturalists for centuries. Medieval scholars variously attributed their sudden arrival to lightning strikes, witchcraft and even the tears of the gods.
By the Renaissance, truffles had become first associated with the courts of Europe, as a symbol of wealth and refinement as much as a culinary ingredient. The French claimed the truffle as their own, with the Périgord region becoming the spiritual home of the black truffle. By their peak in the late 1800s, French forests were yielding more than 1000 tonnes of truffles a year, with renowned chef Jean Brillat-Savarin declaring the truffle “the diamond of the kitchen”.
That dominance began to wane in the 20th century with the decline of traditional farming practices and world wars dramatically affecting French truffle forests. Production collapsed, prices soared and the search was on for new growing regions. Producers in Spain, Italy and Australia began experimenting in earnest, with a corner of Western Australia coming up trumps.
Gems beneath the trees
It turns out the tuber melanosporum simply needed the right conditions – alkaline, well-drained soils, cool winters, warm summers and the right host trees – to flourish.
The Southern Forests region ticks all those boxes. Within two decades of planting the first truffles in Manjimup, this stunning part of Western Australia has become our truffle heartland. It now produces almost 90 percent of the nation’s black truffles, which are sought after by leading chefs around the globe, and is a big reason Australia has now become the fourth-largest producer in the world (and the largest outside Europe).
The truffle – the fruiting body of the fungi – grows underground in a symbiotic relationship with the roots of host trees, most commonly oak and hazelnut. But the prized ingredient does not surrender easily. Growers need to enlist the help of specially trained dogs, whose exceptional noses can sniff out the earthy wonder.
To be fair, the truffle doesn’t look all that appetising when it’s unearthed. Brown, knobby and rough on the outside, it would be easy to mistake them for a stone or lump of earth. Luckily the dogs, and their handlers, know better.
The WA season runs from June to August, peaking in mid-June through late July when the aroma and flavour are at their most intense. That this window is so short only adds to the truffle’s allure.
Building a reputation for quality
While the WA truffle industry is still young, it has grown with impressive speed and quality. Local producers have invested heavily in the science and craft of truffle farming, with the results now rivalling the best from France, Spain and Italy.
Below & Above embodies this dedication. The family-owned estate in the Southern Forests grows its truffles (and grapes for an impressive array of cool-climate wine) on their own property to guarantee quality and full traceability. Their black winter truffles are nurtured in the cool, pristine soils just outside Manjimup, with each truffle hand harvested and block graded. If you fancy a bit of truffle all year round, their Truffle Pétale is a great friend to keep in the pantry – just 5g provides the intensity of 25g of fresh truffle.
Great Southern Truffles have been collecting gold medals and best in show awards around the country for years. Aside from fresh and canned truffles, the Perth-based producers have developed an enviable truffle suite for us to enjoy the flavour at any time, from truffle-infused extra virgin olive oil to truffle honey and truffle salsa. They also partnered with Brownes Dairy to develop a moreish truffle cheddar that was a hit as soon as it was released.
Pemberley of Pemberton, known for its beautiful wines and produce, is another Southern Forests stalwart foraging for fungi. The Radomiljac family produced their first black truffle in 2022 and are steadily making their way toward commercial quantities. In the meantime, you can put your name on a wait list for a fresh Perigord delivered to your door in winter – once the dogs have sniffed the ripe beauties out and they have been washed, graded and packed, of course.
Join the treasure hunt
Speaking of sniffing out, have you ever been on a truffle hunt? If you’re in the Southern Forests in winter, find the nearest truffle farm offering the experience and see this hands-on harvest (or should it be nose-on?) for yourself. Watching these gorgeous dogs work the earth with single-minded purpose is quite something. And when that ripe truffle is unearthed from the dark soil? Simply magic.
The truffle season needs to be celebrated and the Truffle Kerfuffle ensures we do just that. After taking a break in 2025, the event returns with two special dinners at Fonty’s Pool, Manjimup, on the last weekend of June, followed by a series of truffle-inspired feasts at restaurants in Perth and outskirts, including Sandalford Restaurant.
Of course, you don’t need to forage amid the forest or have a special event to discover this tantalising treasure (though we highly recommend getting up close and personal in the Southern Forests). You can order truffles online during the season or stock up year-round on pantry products.
The golden rule with truffles is simplicity. Let this ingredient do the work for you. A classic truffle pasta with good-quality linguine or fettuccine, butter, parmesan and a shaving of fresh black gold is one of life’s great pleasures. If you can’t get fresh truffle, Great Southern Truffles’ Black Truffle Salsa is a wonderful alternative. Amp up mashed potato with a little truffle butter, or shave fresh truffle over soft-boiled eggs for a delightfully decadent breakfast.
However you eat them, you will soon discover that Western Australian truffles deserve to be savoured. Share some with those you love this winter.
Get some inspiration to cook at home with our truffle recipes, and discover more five more reason we love Southern Forests food.
