Specially trained pigs are used to find which mushrooms?

A truffle hog is any domestic pig used for locating and extracting the fruit bodies of the fungi known as truffles from temperate forests in Europe and North America. Pigs have a great sense of smell, and are able to identify truffles from as deep as three feet underground. It is thought that the natural sex hormones of the male pig are similar to the smell of the truffles, and, also, pigs have a natural affinity for rooting in the earth for food. They are trained to hunt truffles by walking on a leash through suitable groves with a keeper.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

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24 Comments

Jacqueline Tattam

Technically, truffles aren’t mushrooms. The reason why they are usually referred to as a mushroom is because they are a fungus much like a mushroom and are found in the woods; However mushrooms are a type of fungus that grow above ground and truffles are subterranean which is why they are not technically “mushrooms”.

Grant McIntosh

James Clausen, A big problem with pigs is that when they find the truffles, they want to eat them, and the truffle collectors have to be quick to stop them, but dogs have no interest in eating the truffles, so makes life a lot easier.

James Clausen

Not really they use mostly dogs to find truffles. Why, because at the end of truffle season they ate the pig and had to train a new one for the next year. Dogs last longer.

JRW

markkcolemann, both dogs and pigs are used. The advantage of dogs is they are not likely to eat it.

markkcolemann

Truffles aren't mushrooms and they use dogs, not pigs, get your questions right.

Jamie

Shiban Rambal, not vegies, fungus.

earlepg

Thanks for the explanation. Always wondered why truffles were included when they, unlike the ohers, are subterranian.

Jim Adams

I don’t see the big draw to truffles, except for the chocolate ones, they taste like dirt.

Todd Van Dell

Jacqueline Tattam, Thanks for that clarification. I always wondered about that. Even poisonous, inedible, mushrooms grow above ground. Yet I've also always associated truffles with the pigs that hunt for them, and thought that truffles were always subterranean, because the pigs have to root them out of the ground. But it seemed odd they were always lumped together with mushrooms. Glad to finally know that they're really not mushrooms at all. Love learning new things. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.