THE TRUFFLE HUNTER MATTED PRINT

Limited edition giclée print of The Truffle Hunter from The Jobs of Yesteryear Series. Truffles are revered as the diamond of the kitchen and they have been hunted for millennia. Their origin was a mystery for some time, with the Ancient Greeks and Romans thinking they came from lightning, thunder, and rain. We now know that they are the fruiting bodies of a subterranean fungus that grows around tree roots. They must be harvested when ripe, and the female pig is naturally equipped for the task. A compound within the truffle is nearly identical to androstenol, the sex pheromone found in boar saliva, and thus, the sows are rabidly attracted to it. Truffle hogs are still in use today, although many have been replaced by trained truffle dogs, notably the Lagotto Romangnolo breed. The dogs are easier to control in the field and do less damage to the delicate rootlike structure of the truffle (called the mycelia), although traditionalists argue that the truffle hogs find better tasting truffles. The Jobs of Yesteryear are thought-provoking conversation pieces that will bring an air of history and whimsy to any room. Edition Size: 33 Matted Print Details: -8x8 inch paper print -16x20 inch white mat -Printed on acid-free paper -Archival inks -Signed and numbered