Abstract
BackgroundTraditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK) related to truffles represents an under-investigated area of research in ethnobiology. Nevertheless, truffles, in a few southern European areas, and notably in South Piedmont, represent a crucial component of the local economy and cultural heritage.MethodsThirty-four white truffle (Tuber magnatum Pico) gatherers, locally known as trifulau, aged between 35 and 75 years and living in a few villages and small towns of the Langhe and Roero areas (South Piedmont, NW Italy), were interviewed in-depth during the years 2010-2014 regarding their ecological perceptions, truffle gathering techniques, and the socio-ecological changes that have occurred during the past several decades.ResultsA very sophisticated ethnoecological knowledge of the trees, soils, and climatic conditions considered ideal for searching for and finding white truffles was recorded. Moreover, a very intimate connection between gatherers and their dogs plays a fundamental role in the success of the truffle search. However, according to the informants, this complex ethnoecological cobweb among men, truffles, dogs, and the environment has been heavily threatened in the past few decades by major changes: climate change, in which the summer has become a very hot and dry season; social changes, due to a more market-oriented attitude of younger gatherers; and especially environmental and macro-economic dynamics, which followed the remarkable expansion of viticulture in the study area.ConclusionThe TEK of white truffle gatherers indicates the urgent need for fostering sustainable gastronomy-centred initiatives, aimed at increasing the awareness of consumers and food entrepreneurs regarding the co-evolution that has inextricably linked locals, truffles, and their natural environment during the past three centuries.
Highlights
Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK) related to truffles represents an under-investigated area of research in ethnobiology
Studies focusing on Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK) systems concerning food have become important in the last decade to promote endogenous strategies for sustaining food security and sovereignty [1, 2]
Environmental and social backgrounds Langhe and Roero are more or less hilly areas in South Piedmont, NW Italy, famous for their prized wines and stunning landscape, which is the result of a long interaction between locals and nature, as vineyards first appeared in the 2nd half of the 18th Century (Fig. 1)
Summary
Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK) related to truffles represents an under-investigated area of research in ethnobiology. Studies focusing on Traditional Environmental Knowledge (TEK) systems concerning food have become important in the last decade to promote endogenous strategies for sustaining food security and sovereignty [1, 2]. Folk knowledge systems concerning foodscapes (foods and their environments) are important for contributing to long-term sustainable gastronomies, since these systems represent the result of a long co-evolution between local communities and their oikos; in other words, TEK. Truffle gatherers (trifulau in Piedmontese) have possibly accumulated and organized a unique understanding of their natural environment over generations and for this reason their perceptions of the ecosystem over time are important for the sustainability of this practice and worth investigating. The aims of this study were : to document truffle gatherers’ folk knowledge on ideal soil, trees, and climatic conditions for searching for white truffles; to document collectors’ knowledge of truffle gathering techniques, and especially the link between dogs and truffle gatherers, as well as the mechanism of transmission of this knowledge; to document possible perceptions regarding socioecological changes related to traditional truffle gathering experienced during the past decades
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