Truffle trouble in Croatia
(25 Oct 2012)
Motovun, Croatia - 10th October 2012
1. Mid of truffles picker Miro Kotiga and his dog Fido crossing a wooden bridge
2. Wide of Kotiga and his dog walking through woods in search of truffles
3. Mid of the dog digging and sniffing for truffles
4. Tracking shot of Kotiga and his dog walking through woods in search for truffles
5. Close of the dog digging and sniffing for truffles with truffle picker's assistance
6. Panoramic view of Motovun town and surrounding hills
7. Clouds moving in the valley below town of Motovun
8. Pan of medieval gate of the town of Motovun
9. Tracking shot of medieval gate of the town of Motovun
10. Mid of Venetian lion inside the gate
11. Close of a chef preparing truffles in a restaurant
12. Mid of chef preparing truffles
13. Close of steak being laid on serving dish
14. Chef shaving truffles onto steak
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Claudio Ivesic, owner of a restaurant that serves truffles specialities:
The season already started, it started around 15th of September, I can't say that the season is good, because there was no rain during summer and that's why now we have big difficulties to find truffles.
16. Pan of the forest in valley below town of Motovun
17. SOUNDBITE (English) Claudio Ivesic, restaurateur:
Somebody says that it is a very good aphrodisiac. On the other side, it's very hard to find to find them. On the third side, probably during history, it was made as a speciality for the aristocrats' tables and that's why it is still very precious.
18. Close of truffles in a dish
19. SOUNDBITE (English) Claudio Ivesic. Restaurateur
They (truffle smugglers) already have the problem because they can't find the required kilos, let's say, of truffles to bring them over the border, to Italy, of course. I saw some of them very nervous, because they just don't have enough quantity to go back. So it will be very hard for them. But maybe this is a good thing because a lot of truffles, so this small number that we can find, we can sell it here.
20. Wide of border crossing between Croatia and Slovenia
21. Mid of a car crossing the border
22. Close of border police officer stamping passports
23. Mid of a police officer returning passports to passengers
24. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Elvis Kubaj, head of county border police:
During the three year period, in some 15 cases, we have found some 21 kilograms of that highly valued and rare mushroom; truffle.
25. Mid of a border policewoman checking passengers at the border crossing
26. Close of car driver getting back his documents
27. SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Elvis Kubaj, head of county border police:
Perpetrators, or persons who attempt to illegally bring that protected kind of mushrooms across the state border try to hide them different ways. In their clothes, for instance, in their pockets if there are smaller quantities, or sometimes inside car bumpers, in plastic bags below car seats, in the engine, wherever, just to manage to bring them across the border.
28. +++Timelapse+++ of town of Motovun in dusk
LEAD-IN:
It's a bad year for truffle-hunting in Croatia... Or is it?
Last summer's drought has brought about a decline of the so called diamonds of the kitchen.
But, in a twist of luck, the shortage of this highly-priced delicacy has put local prices through the roof and truffle smugglers out of a job.
STORYLINE:
Among the forests of Croatia's scenic peninsula of Istria lies a hidden treasure: truffles.
Hard to find and expensive, the smelly subterranean mushroom is a specialty of Istria, in the northern Adriatic region of Croatia, that can be found in its small restaurants and tasted with local wine.
Approximately 10 tons are found each year in the Motovun forest.
But not so much this year.
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