The #truffle is a luxury fungus that’s become a delicacy in French #gastronomy. Being a truffle farmer requires years of patience and hunting for the “black diamond” cannot be done without the unrivalled sense of smell of man’s best friend. Today, #France produces almost half of the 120 tonnes of truffles sold throughout the world every year, and truffle lovers are prepared to pay up: some black truffles are worth as much as €1,000 per kilo. FRANCE went to sniff out its secrets.

Nouvelle-Aquitaine or New Aquitaine, is the largest administrative region in France, spanning the west and southwest of the mainland. The region was created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014 through the merger of three regions: Aquitaine, Limousin and Poitou-Charentes.