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The White Truffle is a real treat. It is because of its flavor and aroma, but also because of its scarcity, factors that trigger the price of this truffle far above that of all others. We propose you a guide to buy, taste and understand this exceptional product. At the ideal time of year to be able to do it.
The most expensive water in the world
They say that we hardly pay for water as expensive as when we buy a truffle. There is a part of truth in this statement. The truffle is a hypogeal fungus, that is, it fulfills its life cycle under the ground, composed of more than 80% by water.
It also contains potassium, calcium, sodium, magnesium, iron, zinc and copper, but its high price is not due to what it contributes from a nutritional point of view, but rather to the gastronomic pleasure that it is capable of providing. Is a gourmet experience one of the most exclusive and the fact that it is so difficult to get hold of that delicacy only increases its value and price.
“The Mozart of mushrooms”
White truffle Alba on, Precious White Truffle, Italian Truffle, Piedmont Truffle or, according to scientific nomenclature, Tuber Magnatum Pico (after the XNUMXth century Piedmontese mycologist Vittorio Pico) or, more commonly, Tuber Magnatum. The White truffle It has many names, like any self-respecting princess, but if we had to stick with just one it would be the one coined by the Italian composer Giocchino Rossini, who nicknamed him “The Mozart of mushrooms”. An unusual product, for which the nobility has always had a certain weakness.
Natural luxury
Apart from being underground (about 10-30 cm, but can go up to 80 cm), the White truffle it cannot be cultivated. It only grows spontaneously in a certain area of the world (in Italy, but also in Switzerland, Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia) and in the presence of certain characteristics of the climate, the terrain (calcareous-clayey) and the trees – oaks, poplars, willows. , linden, hazelnut trees – near whose roots the precious fungus grows. That is, we can only wait for Nature to do its job. And complete your cycle, because the White Truffle is a seasonal pleasure, we can only “hunt her down”, with the help of a dog, a small shovel and a lot of delicacy, from late summer to early winter. In Piedmont from September 21 to January 31. A typically autumnal luxury.
The queen of truffles
La White truffle it is the most expensive of all truffles. Regarding the black winter truffle or Périgord, for example, its price is two to five times more expensive. Like all prices, the price of White Truffle also depends on demand and supply, that is, it depends on the quality of that product and what we are willing to pay for it. Throughout the same season, the price can range from 200 to no less than 500 euros for 100 grams of white truffle of an average size of 20 grams. As it explains Isabella Gianicolo, from the National Center for Truffle Studies, size is another variable that have direct consequences on the price. Being a spontaneous product, the largest specimens (more than 20 gr.) Are considered a rarity and tend to pay even more.
Apuntes of ‘lifestyle’
Garlic, hay, cheese, wet earth, mushrooms, spices. The aroma that the best specimens of White Truffle give off is what really falls in love. A complex aroma, pleasant, intense and, above all, very sensitive to heat. The first mistake that should not be made when we have one of these treasures in our hands is to cook it. The white truffle is eaten fresh –It is kept between 3º and 6º C for 10 days wrapped in a damp cloth and in a glass jar– and rigorously raw. Cut into very thin slices It is the ideal finish for simple dishes with little seasoning, such as a fresh pasta or a risotto ‘in bianco’. It is essential to have the ideal utensil at hand, that is, with a truffle laminator. Better if adjustable, in olive wood and the sea of bonito like the one that can be bought in the online store of Alembic. Its price? 23.45 euros.
When buying it
The White Truffle is actually a light yellow gem. Its surface is smooth and velvety and inside its texture is compact, light brown in color with small cream-colored veins (a distinctive feature of truffles, important to distinguish them from false truffles). The grayish color, or even that the Truffle is battered in corn flour to alter its color, the presence of dark spots on the surface, the aroma of ammonia, the gummy texture and even the presence of the frames of dog’s nails used during the search, are some of the defects that we have to look for if we do not want to get bad surprises. Another tip is to go to reliable sources about its price. Not because it is White Truffle it has to cost a lot. Luxury has its reasons.
The fruit of Aphrodite
The Roman poet tells Juvenal that truffles were born by lightning thrown by Zeus near the roots of an oak, a sacred tree. A way of telling and explaining the spontaneous and, in its day, mysterious nature of this delicacy and also a subtle allusion to its aphrodisiac power, since Zeus was a particularly passionate god. Aristotle already spoke of the truffle as “A fruit consecrated to Aphrodite” and the famous lover of King Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour, experimented with a diet of vanilla, truffle and celery to “Warm the blood”. We do not know what is true in these legends. Of course, we can say that a romantic dinner that includes at least one dish with this unique ingredient has all the ballots to become an unforgettable evening.
Chef Paco Pérez sports 5 Michelin stars among restaurants Miramar, Cinc at the Berlin Hotel The Stue y Wine bar at the Hotel Arts, located in Barcelona and awarded with 2 stars. Here every year, throughout the month of November, the Catalan chef prepares a menu exclusively focused on the White Truffle. Parmesan gnocchi, shrimp and ‘tartufo bianco’, Sweet beef with mushrooms, parsnip and ‘tartufo bianco’, Cheese with almond powder, honey, fig and ‘tartufo bianco’ and Chocolate bonbon al ‘tartufo bianco’ are some of the dishes from last year’s tasting menu. The price is around 200 euros per person and varies depending on the price of the White Truffle itself.
Read more
The website of National Center for Truffle Studies It is a mine of practical and entertaining information about the Truffle, especially about the Alba White Truffle, which is where the center itself is located. On the website, which can be consulted in both Italian and English, you can also see the fluctuations in the price of Truffles over the last few seasons. In Spain, the Tutor publishing house publishes an exhaustive treatise entitled Truffles that gathers all kinds of information, from the most scientific to the anecdotes about this product. An essential guide to enter that exclusive world.
Heading to Italy
Could there be something better than tasting the White Truffle in the Mecca of the White Truffle? From October 7 to November 26, in the middle of the truffle season, the 87th edition of the Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco will take place in Alba. Music, exhibitions, workshops, showcookings, tastings and a market in the old part of the city where anyone who wishes can buy authentic Alba White Truffle, that is, certified and guaranteed. In your spare time, perhaps the best option is to go to eat in one of the restaurants that belong to the TruffleClub, a select group of establishments committed to the quality, authenticity and transparency of this valuable product. And yes, they allow us to bring our own White Truffle and taste it however we want.