www.TheNewBarker.com 36 THE NEW BARKER What do dog lovers do for fun when traveling on vacation, without their dogs? For Cynthia Smoot and Bill Weller, hopefully something involving dogs. Add the element of delicious food, and the couple enthusiastically headed out on an unforgettable adventure of truffle hunting. What better way to talk about food than to be surrounded by the sites and aro- mas of it? Cynthia and I recently met at the newly-opened La Segunda Bakery in Tampa for a cup of Café Con Leche and a slice of warm Cuban bread, where we discussed two of our favorite subjects: food and dogs – specifically the art of truffle hunting. Truffles. The Diamonds of Gastronomy. “Ever since I heard Oprah say it was the most fun she’d had in Italy, I’ve always wanted to try it,” said Cynthia. During their visit to Croatia, Cynthia and Bill visited Karlic Tartufi, a plantation near Buzet, Istria, established in 1966. Istria is known as Croatia’s truffle capital. Both white and black truffles found in the area have been considered to be among the best quality in Istria, a peninsula located at the head of the Adriatic between the Gulf of Trieste and the Kvarner Gulf. However, one of the richest truffle fields now lies at the bot- tom of the Butoniga, a man- made lake. Truffles are an underground tuberous fungi, considered to be the height of gastronomy. They grow in the heart of Istria, in humid and grey soils of the forests near Buzet. The hidden treasure is located by means of specially- trained dogs. Training dogs to become truffle-seekers begins when the puppy is about three months old. Consisting of various phases, training is devised as a form of play and fun for the dog. Pigs used to be the animal of choice for truffle hunting, but they have a habit of eating the truffles before the handler can retrieve them. Dogs are a lot more trainable and fun to work with. “Dogs don’t naturally like truf- fles or mushrooms,” Cynthia told us.“During training, the truffles are wrapped with something the dogs normally find delicious. Like bacon.” The multi-generational busi- ness of truffle harvesting continues today by the Karlic family.With the help of their 12 dogs, family mem- bers go on daily truffle hunts.There is no fixed routine as long as a daily schedule is maintained for the dogs’ training. The guide for Cynthia and Bill’s truffle adventure was Luca. The dogs were Candy and Istria, Candy being the seasoned pro. –by Anna Cooke