Exploring Oregon Truffles

Explore the elusive, captivating truffle through film. These short videos provide front-row seats to truffle hunts, in the kitchen with James Beard Award-winning chefs, and beyond. Learn how truffles spread and grow on the roots of trees, how they are harvested and best handled, and how to make them shine on a plate. Oregon Truffle Festival co-founder Dr. Charles Lefevre acts as a guide in these entertaining and educational videos, which provide a perfect jumping-off point for a deeper dive into the Oregon truffle industry and cooking with Oregon truffles.

Oregon Truffles on OPB’s Superabundant

Oregon Public Broadcasting just launched Superabundant, a new series exploring the unique foods of Oregon -- starting with Oregon truffles. Our own Dr. Charles Lefevre spent time in the field with Superabundant, sharing what makes Oregon such a special place for truffles. With four native truffle varieties found in our forests and a robust track record for cultivating European truffle varieties, Oregon is unquestionably the epicenter of truffles in North America.

This video is a must-watch for anyone looking to learn more about truffles: how they grow, how they are harvested (with a little help from our dog friends), and how they have inspired a symbiotic relationship between Oregon chefs, artisans, foragers, growers, and scientists.

On a Truffle Hunt with Dr. Charles Lefevre

Watch Dr. Lefevre and his truffle dog Dante forage for Oregon white truffles on the eve of the Oregon Truffle Festival, while also explaining the symbiotic relationships that make Oregon truffles so extraordinary.

Capturing Truffles' Aroma

"Oregon has a unique status when it comes to truffles," says Dr. Charles Lefevre. In addition to the two most prized varieties of Oregon truffles, the Oregon winter black and the Oregon winter white, Dr. Lefevre explains that Oregon has the greatest number of orchards producing the highly valued Périgord truffle from France.

This short video also shares insights on how to capture the prized aroma of truffles in butter, mac and cheese, ice cream, and more -- the possibilities are endless! Dr. Lefevre also explains how to best handle and store truffles to prolong their ephemeral aroma.