Clyde, an enterprising little dog with refined tastes, has snouted out the first black perigord truffle in the Western Cape. The treasure was unearthed on Altima wine farm in Villiersdorp, a property in the Anthonij Rupert Wyne portfolio.

Clyde’s owners (pictured) have been training him for six years. And all the sniffing paid off when Clyde discovered the 200g truffle under an oak tree. (Luckily he didn’t emulate his namesake and scamper off with it.)

This gourmet fungus is one of the most expensive foods in the world by weight. You can get perigord truffles shipped from Europe for about R1500 per 100g.

Perigord truffle by Sean Gillies

The Altima orchard will hereafter be monitored every week, by Clyde and his partners Bonnie and Zippy, until the end of the winter harvest season.

Gary Baumgarten, managing director of Anthonij Rupert Wyne, says the truffle had to be sent off to the labs for verification, so they didn’t get a chance to taste it.

What would you do with a fresh truffle? Slice it up for a buttery risotto, fry it in fancy scrambled eggs, or shave it over a dish of homemade pasta?

Tell us in the comments below.