'A blessing from God': Iraqi truffle hunters unearth desert harvest

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"Here it is, the truffle, a blessing from God!" Zahra Buheir carefully digs out a desert truffle from the sandy earth and shows it off between her calloused fingers."Rain came, and then thunder, bringing truffles up to the surface," the 72-year-old said. Above, Zahra Buheir, 72, a truffle hunter, makes bread in the desert in Samawa, Iraq. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Braving the harsh weather of Iraq's southern desert, as well as left-behind land mines, Buheir and her family of seven have spent weeks hunting for the seasonal truffles that have provided them with an income for generations. Above, Ra'ad Abdelemir, a trader, sorts truffles in a tent at a market in Samawa. Image Credit: REUTERS

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A truffle seller sits at a market in the city of Samawa. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Fetching its hunters up to $7 a kilo this year, Iraq's desert truffle is cheaper than its rarer European cousins that can cost hundreds of dollars or more a kilo. Above, women extract truffles in the desert in Samawa, Iraq. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Hussein Abu Ali (right), a car driver, carries boxes of truffles in the desert in Samawa. Image Credit: REUTERS

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But with Iraq's economy in crisis, the local variety are a big help to Buheir and her family. Image Credit: REUTERS

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This year the rain came late and Buheir could only find about a kilo of truffles a day, one tenth of what she would dig up in a good year. Turning over stones and poking the earth with her bare hands, Buheir's granddaughter, 5-year-old Riyam, accompanied her parents to learn a trade and the desert lifestyle. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Mohsen Farhan, 31, a truffle hunter, eats food with his family in a tent in the desert in Samawa. "When there is no work, truffles are a source of income. And we are happy here," said Farhan. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Learning to hunt for truffles these days also involves understanding the desert's dangers. "We are afraid of wolves, there are a lot here. And there are mines. A while ago, someone died," Farhan said. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Every few days, Hussein Abu Ali, drives into the desert from the city of Samawa to take the truffles to market. There, Ali Tajj al-Din sells them at auction, each with a different name according to size. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Salma Mohsen, 10, poses for a photo holding a truffle in the desert in Samawa. Image Credit: REUTERS

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Abu Jakka Farhan, a truffle hunter, sits in the desert in Samawa. Image Credit: REUTERS

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But customers at Samawa's "Beit al-Hatab" restaurant relish its weekly truffle speciality. "We fry or grill them, but the favourite dish is truffles on rice," said restaurant owner Fawwaz Hatab. Image Credit: REUTERS

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People eat truffles at the restaurant Beit al-Hatab, in Samawa. Image Credit: Reuters

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'A blessing from God': Iraqi truffle hunters unearth desert harvest

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