Truffle hunters in Greece sniff out new source of income

ATHENS - At an altitude of 1,500 meters, 51-year-old Marios Blanas and his dog Lacta, an Italian Griffon, start their day hunting "black diamonds", the valuable delicacy of truffles to be found on Menalon Mountain, in Peloponnese, southwest Greece.

Known to the French as the "black diamonds of gastronomy", while Greece does not have a truffle hunting tradition like France and Italy, the situation has changed radically over the last 10 years.

As a way to make money during the economic crisis that hit Greece in 2009, many turned to farming truffles, one of the most expensive foods in the world.