Oregon Truffle Festival, photographer David Barajas
Love a good pasta dish with truffles? Or maybe you’ve got some truffle oil hanging out next to your olive oil in the pantry. If you love truffles, then you’ll want to snag tickets to the 2016 Oregon Truffle Festival. This festival is one of the top destinations for truffle enthusiasts from all around the globe. That’s because Oregon is packed with an abundance of wild truffles, comparable to Europe, and has become the premier research center of truffles outside of Europe. Award winning chefs come to attend and showcase truffle recipes, and hundreds of people involved in almost every aspect of the truffle industry will attend.
The festival has expanded to weekends this year. Jan 16-17 is the 2nd Annual Joriad North American Truffle Dog Competition. The following weekend, Jan 22 -24th, “Newberg & Yamhill” features some of the most popular events of the festival such as the Newberg Fresh Truffle Marketplace where guests can experience truffle cooking classes, chef demonstrations, wine tasting, purchase truffles, and see truffle dog demonstrations. Ticket prices vary depending upon the events guests would like to attend. Weekend three takes place in Eugene, OR, on Jan 29-31 and features slightly different events than previous weekends, including a Truffle Growers’ Forum, an annual gathering for the North American truffle cultivation industry. People in the truffle industry come from all over the world to network with other truffle insiders, hear talks from industry leaders and truffle producers, and share information about this ever-growing culinary industry. Festival grounds are located in Yamhill, OR, Newberg, OR, and Eugene, OR. The South Jetty RV & Camping Resort and the Whaler’s Rest RV Resort & Campground are both located about two hours away from each festival location.
South Jetty RV & Camping Resort
Though actual truffles can be quite expensive and hard to find, there are plenty of products out there, such as truffle oils and butters, that can add the unique truffle taste to almost any dish.
Fast Facts about Truffles:
- There are two kinds of truffles: black and white.
- Black truffles grow in many places, mainly in Europe and famously, in the Périgord region in France.
- White truffles are more rare and therefore, more expensive because they are nearly exclusive to northern Italy and can only grow in the wild from October to December.
- Truffles can only be found at certain times of the year and must be sniffed out by specially trained dogs
Are you a fan of black or white truffles? Have plans to attend the festival this year? Let us know in the comments!
I had thought truffles were a baked desert! This has really whet our interest. We are camp hosts in WA and hope we’ll have a chance to make it down there for at least some of the celebration.
You should check it out and let us know what you think! We’ve learned there are a ton of truffle enthusiasts and fun recipes out there. We’d love to hear about your experience!
I think you missed listing the Pacific City Preserve which is only a little over one hour drive from Yamhill and Newberg. It has access to an interesting beach that has experienced significant changes from Pacific storms over recent years.
Good eye! Pacific City may only be moderately available on weekends during the winter season, but it’s still an option. Thanks for catching that!