We Are Ilsar
For over a decade we have been growing black winter truffles (Tuber melanosporum) in the rich basalt soil of the Golan Heights. The combination of ancient growing traditions, and advanced technologies and knowledge make our truffles unique and of a high quality.
The Crown Jewel of the Kitchen
The black winter truffle is considered the rarest and most luxurious of all black truffles. The texture, rich flavor, and the intoxicating aroma gain it the title of ‘the crown jewel of the kitchen.’
The black winter truffle possesses one of nature’s richest and most complex aroma and flavor profiles, which includes forest soil, nuts, cocoa, vanilla and coffee beans.
A short but exciting season
Throughout the entire year, we prepare for the truffle season with anticipation and enthusiasm. The season is short, lasting only from December to March, and it is during these coldest months of the year that the truffles are at their ripest. The truffles are located by trained sniffer dogs, and are then extracted from deep underground by our team of professional truffle hunters.
On the hunters’ return, the truffles undergo a meticulous process of cleaning, grading and quality assurance. At the end of this process, the truffles are packed and delivered to their destinations as quickly as possible, to ensure they arrive at their freshest and most aromatic.
Agriculture and High-Tech:
A Combination of Tradition and Innovation
The road to your plate begins years earlier in our plantation, which is equipped with the world’s most advanced technologies in the field of truffle growing.
Our plantations and operational grounds are powered by solar energy, to protect the environment.
All we do in the nursery is to intervene at one moment in time, at which we bring together mature truffle spores, and the clean, naked root of a young oak tree. Through many experiments and progressive data analysis, we have cracked the complex method that provides our truffles with a relative advantage over other fungi competing for the tree’s ‘cooperation’ in establishing a symbiotic relationship. From there on, we let nature take its course with minimal intervention, and maximal control and supervision.
The Realization of a Dream
For centuries people have been hunting for truffles between the roots of trees, initially with the help of pigs, and later using trained dogs. But in recent years, truffle production has been diminishing as a result of climate change, deforestation and loss of their natural habitat. This has led to a significant decline in supply worldwide, while the demand for these unique and exclusive raw materials continues to rise.
This trend, together with the widening gap between supply and demand, gave rise to our dream: to grow the classic French black winter truffles locally – in the cool, high terrain of the Golan Heights.
Whilst we were aware that many around the world have failed in this venture, and despite the prolonged and complex bio-agricultural process involved, we were determined to succeed and had faith in our ability to become the first ever Mediterranean truffle enterprise in the Middle East. To our delight, the first truffle appeared in our plantation only four winters after planting, exceeding our expectations with its quality. Since then, we have established over 1,000 dunams of truffle plots in the Golan Heights, most of which have started to bear fruit.
