"Taste of Hazelnuts, Mushrooms": Start of the Summer Truffle Market in Upper Vara

From June 10, 2026, white truffles started to be sold at the market in Osa (Upper Vara) - they are also called summer truffles. Prices are two to three times lower than in winter. A great opportunity for tourists and a chance for farmers to show what they are capable of.

Summer truffles, also known as white truffles or truffles of Saint John, are already being traded vigorously at market stalls in Mistral Square in Osa. This city in Upper Vara is generally considered the “capital of black truffles,” but now they have also opened the first market dedicated specifically to summer truffles. The start is on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.

On the outside, the mushroom is black, but inside it is white. In taste, it is much more delicate than its winter relative. “You can feel the forest nut, mushroom aroma, and it is best eaten raw. In size, they can be like black truffles - very similar, but the main thing is inside: mature truffles have visible white veins,” explains Stefan Davit, a truffle hunter from Muassak-Belvy.

Price - 250 euros per kilogram of summer truffle

Although the taste of the summer truffle is lighter, and the prices in some places are three times lower than winter ones, finding it is not easy. And this pleasure is not cheap: a kilogram costs 250 euros.

But gourmets and tourists who are currently in the region - both French and foreigners - are already interested. “It smells simply divine, it’s a gift of nature,” smiles a tourist from Denmark. Others immediately try it: “Very tasty. The taste is not so strong, but you can feel the notes of little mushrooms,” shares a woman who came to the market with her family.

“It’s very interesting to talk to those who grow them, find out how they find them. It’s real art,” says Arno, a tourist from Isère.

He adds: “I always thought that truffles are in the south-west of France, not here. It’s a discovery for me, and here you know right where the product comes from.”

Want to learn more about Vara truffles? Visit the Maison de la Truffe (“Truffle House”), which opened in 2015 in the heart of Osa. There are information stands, exhibitions, and aromatic stands - it will be interesting for both adults and children.

“Tourists are beginning to understand that truffle farming is not just a mushroom from the market. There are people, history, science behind it, and here you can see and learn about it all,” says Philippe De Santis, president of the Vara Truffle Growers’ Union.

Producers will be at the market every Wednesday morning - and this will continue until the end of August.