After COVID blip, Croatia's truffle hunters back on track

Nikola Tarandek, truffle hunter shows found truffle in the ground, near Motovun, Croatia, November 25, 2020. REUTERS/Antonio Bronic

MOTOVUN, Croatia (Reuters) - A COVID-19 lockdown and falling demand put paid to Croatia's annual truffle fair this year, but men and their dogs are combing the country's northwestern tip as usual as the winter hunting season for the delicacy gets under way.

The Adriatic peninsula of Istria boasts the humid soil and oak forests that provide the perfect growing environment for black truffles in the hills, and the prized white ones in the valleys.