Truffle (Il tartufo)
Truffle is an underground and tuber-shaped fungus, which grows on the roots of certain types of trees, e.g. oak, hazel and poplar.
It has a fleshy mass called "gleba", coated with a kind of bark called "peridio". It consists of a high percentage of water, fibres, mineral salts and organic substances supplied by the tree with which it lives in symbiosis.
The shape depends on the characteristics of the soil in which it develops. A soft soil will favor the growth of a spherical-shaped truffle, while a hard, rocky soil with many roots will favor a lumpy shape.
There are many types of truffles.
The most famous and valued for gastronomic use are:
White truffle
Tuber magnate Pico, also known as Alba's white truffle. The harvest period is from September to January.
Precious black truffle
Tuber melanosporum White. also known as black winter truffle. The harvest period is from November to mid-March.
Black summer truffle
Tuber aestivum Vitt, also known as Tartufo Scorzone. The harvest period is from May to December.
It is well known in the food sector that truffles come second, right after caviar, in terms of value and price. But not everyone knows that the truffle should also be considered an "environmental guardian". It does not tolerate pollution and other things that are harmful to nature.
The truffle is also called the "diamond of the kitchen" because of its high price.
An apt definition, when the price of truffles has reached astonishing figures.
Every year they sell truffles at auction via the internet in Alba (Piedmont) to the best restaurants in the world at prohibitive prices. The price varies from year to year, depending on the color (the white is definitely much more valuable than the black), but above all the size. The price varies from 80 euros per hectare (minimum) for the black, up to a minimum of 300-450 euros per hectare for the white.
A large truffle is rarer and more valuable than a small one.
The paternity of this precious tuber has always been a source of historical rivalry between Piedmont and Tuscany. But you can also find truffles in many other regions of Italy. The special areas where truffles can be found are Alba, Langhe and Monferrato (Piemonte), San Miniato-Pisa (Tuscany), Acqualagna-Pesaro-Urbino (Marche), San Pietro Avellana-Isernia (Molise), Pecorara-Piacenza (Emilia Romagna ), Gubbio-Cittá di Castello (Umbria) and Ateleta-Aquila (Abruzzo).
The two most famous truffle markets are in Alba in October-December and in November in San Giovanni d'Asso, in the heart of the Siena area, where the best truffle picked is given to men or women whose task it is to bring some peace to mankind.
But none of this would be possible without them: the faithful and indispensable truffle dogs. The Lagotto breed from Romagna is the most widespread as a truffle dog. The puppies get used to recognizing the smell of the precious tuber and once trained, they will be the important "tool" of the "trifolau" (the man who deals in truffles) and will follow him to the secret areas known only to him in search of the precious tuber.
We can say that the harvest takes place exclusively by hand... and paw!
It should also be remembered that in nature there is one other animal that recognizes the scent of the precious tuber: the pig, which is used especially in Umbria and in some French regions.
The best culinary way to prepare truffles is always raw: grated on rice, pasta, raw meat or eggs, it is paradise on earth for anyone who loves this rare and expensive ingredient.
NB To find reliable information about how much it costs, contact the truffle exchange.
http://acqualagna.com/fiere-tartufo/borsa-tartufo
There, in addition to always getting updated prices, you will also have the opportunity to buy the tuber of your choice directly online.