Black Truffles

Tuesday is market day in Lalbenque, the black truffle capital of France, a few miles South of Cahors. Each Tuesday in winter, several dozen individuals converge on this small town, each carrying a small basket of truffles wrapped in a cloth. The streets have been closed to vehicles. Benches are set out in the main street for sellers to rest their baskets on.

Most of the sellers are old men and women with secrets, both where they found the truffles and what they make from selling them. This is serious business: with the price around 800 euros per kilo, the tax man isn't welcome.

La mairie, however, requires sellers to be licensed and to display evidence of identity. Perhaps this ensures the authenticity of the wares. In the past, white truffles have been dyed black to enhance the price and we don't want that to happen here. But who is that man in the side road selling truffles from the back of a car?

Some of the buyers are local restaurateurs, but one guesses that most of the others are resellers. Tourists are discouraged from handling the goods, but are generously permitted to sniff the aroma. No one minds the flash bulbs: the vendors are celebrities and they know it.