Prodan Tartufi

Who they are

Prodan Tartufi is a family business in Sv. Ivan, in the Buzet area, in northern inland Istria. It is registered as a mushroom-gathering and trading trade in the name of Vanda Prodan, and on the website three family contacts appear: Višnja, Igor and Mirko. The family does not give a start year; it speaks of a truffle tradition passed down from generation to generation and of everyone in the house working. As well as receiving visitors, in season it sells fresh white and black truffles to restaurants and buyers in Croatia and abroad, and says it works with the HACCP food-hygiene system in processing, storage and distribution.

What they do with visitors

Their activity for the traveller is truffle hunting with dogs in the damp oak woods around Buzet. The dogs are bred and trained within the family itself; they smell the truffle underground and mark the spot by digging, and the truffle hunter lifts it out. The family insists that any hour of the day or night is good for hunting, because you never know when the truffle gives off its scent. The outing ends by preparing what has been found and tasting their truffle products.

They do not publish how long the outing lasts, how many people fit in a group or whether there is a minimum age. Nor do they set a season: Istria's white truffle is an autumn and winter one and the black is found in more months, so what turns up depends on the season. It is worth going in footwear that can get dirty.

Their products

They make a line of products with Istrian truffle: tartufata or truffle sauce, spreads, whole and sliced black truffle, truffle olive oil, truffle cheeses and cold cuts, dried mushrooms, sweets and seasonings, and truffle accessories. In the Gastro corner section of the website they publish home recipes, such as cheese ravioli in truffle sauce, tagliatelle with black truffle or a steak with truffle and porcini sauce. The website does not mention a shop with hours or a tasting room open to the public: purchase and tasting are done as part of the visit or through their distribution channels.

Where they are and how to book

The address is Sv. Ivan, Praščari 43, 52420 Buzet. Without a car it is hard to get there, because inland Istria has almost no buses. To book you have to write to [email protected], use the website form or call any of the family's three phone numbers: Višnja (+385 91 551 2796), Igor (+385 99 307 3618) or Mirko (+385 91 585 3555). Give the date, number of people and language.

They do not publish prices or cancellation terms, so it is worth making everything clear in writing when booking, including what happens if it rains heavily. The website is in Croatian, English, German and Russian; it does not say which languages the outing is run in, but English is the safest option for a Spanish traveller. In the same area another truffle family works, Karlić, in Paladini.