Italy is a goldmine of truffles.
It might seem funny now, but it wasn’t until the ’70s that many Italians realised the kind of richness that was hiding in their forests and mountains.
Truffle Hunting
Despite its relative obscurity in its early years, the job of truffle hunter has ancient roots, dating back to the Roman Empire. By historical accounts, it seems that the ancient Romans ascribed to truffles powerful aphrodisiac qualities.
At the core of truffle hunting is the close collaboration between nature, humans and humanity’s irreplaceable companions – dogs. Only by working together and trusting each-others can humans and dogs unearth these precious culinary jewels from the land.
Because of its importance in protecting the ecosystem – and in part because of its ancient origins – UNESCO considers truffle hunting a World Heritage.
The many truffles of Italy
Italian truffles are many and varied. Italy’s climate and the composition of its soil make the peninsula an extremely fertile growing ground for truffles.
Of the many variety of Italian truffles that grow spontaneously, only eight can be sold: prized black truffle, white truffle, summer black truffle, ‘uncinato’ truffle, ‘brumale’ truffle, ‘bianchetto’ truffle, ‘moscato’ black truffle and smooth black truffle.
Tuscany is mostly known for the prized white truffle – found in the Crete Senesi and Casentino regions – the prized black truffle – found in the Chianti and Casentino regions and in the Valdichiana – and Scorzone truffle – found in many of the Tuscan provinces, including Arezzo.
The hunt for Italian truffles is active all year round. From January to March, hunters look for the dark winter truffle, for the tan truffle in April and for the summer truffle until November. The white truffle is found exclusively in September.
Truffles in the kitchen
Italian truffles are the protagonists in many traditional recipes. While sometimes used to enhance the flavour of more simple dishes, like eggs or potatoes, they are more often paired with pasta. Some famous examples are ‘Pasta alla Norcina with truffles’, ‘Gnocchi with porcini mushrooms and truffles’ and ‘Tajarin with truffles’.
We also use Italian truffles to enrich another cornerstone of our traditional cuisine: the Risotto.
Fun fact: truffles are not potatoes, tubers or roots, as many think, but rather mushrooms. They are made up mostly of water and they thrive near hazelnut trees, hornbeam trees, lime trees and poplar trees.