White truffle in Italy - International Fair in Alba Piedmont.

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It’s not for nothing that San Miniato and Alba are called “the cities of white truffles” - they are famous for the unrivaled abundance of this expensive delicacy. October and November are the traditional months for their collection. At this time, a big festival is organized, to which all gourmets of the world consider it their duty to come. Visitors have the opportunity not only to try delicious dishes, buy a couple of mushrooms at indecently low prices, but also to take part in the famous truffle hunts with the help of an experienced “triphalau” - a man , for whom this activity is a profession.
Of course, the festival is accompanied by street celebrations, processions and fairs where you can taste Italian wines, cheeses, olive oils, seafood and other local delicacies.

Truffle Festival in San Miniato, Tuscany Festival dates November 11-12; November 18-19; November 25-26, 2017 Departure 24.11 for 3 nights from 256€

International festival white truffles in Alba, Piedmont Festival dates October 7 – November 26, 2017 Departure 24.11 for 3 nights from 291€

Other dates and durations are possible – please ask for a price estimate!

Truffle Festival in San Miniato, Tuscany
Festival dates: November 11-12; November 18-19; November 25-26
Festival website

In fact, the white truffle is rather a soft ocher color and is the most valuable known.
In general, San Miniato has something to boast about: wines, olive oil, artichokes, known since the time of the Medici. They also uniquely roast pork, bake amazing cakes and buns, and all this culinary magic was inherited from medieval monks, who knew a lot about how to drink well and eat deliciously.

photo by fb Truffle In Tuscany

They also left secret maps telling where you can find the best white truffle in Tuscany. The golden calf is hidden underground somewhere between Doderi, Montoderi and Poggioderi - this is what medieval documents from the monastery archives say. But since the object is very valuable, tasty and expensive, truffle settlements are strictly protected and their collection is regulated from start to finish.

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For just three months a year (October, November and December), about 400 truffle hunters set out with dogs and ancient truffle secrets in search of these precious mushrooms. For thirty years now, every November, the White Truffle Festival turns San Miniato into a huge tasting festival. The King White Truffle occupies the Piazza del Duomo at the foot of the Rocca, while other delicacies brought from different parts of Italy are located in the surrounding blocks.

Some rights reserved by John Bruckman / Some rights reserved by L. Allen Brewer

But the truffle procession does not end in November. In October, festivals take place in the small villages where the oldest truffle dynasties were born, in Corazzano and Balconevisi. Here you can buy the freshest truffle directly from the manufacturer, or rather, from the miner. And in March, early truffles are tasted in Cigoli, the homeland of Lodovico Cardi, one of the main Italian mannerists.

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Departure 24.11 for 3 nights

Tour program: 24.11 departure and arrival in Pisa (regular flight with connection 1 hour 45 minutes), from 24.11 to 27.11 accommodation in Pisa/San Miniato, 27.11 departure to Moscow (regular flight with connection 1 hour 5 minutes). Arrival in Moscow on the night of November 27-28.

Attention! San Miniato is located 45 km from Pisa, you can get there on your own by train (30-50 minutes and from 4.5 euros one way). You can view the schedule and prices.Or rent a car in Pisa. Car rental for the tour period of November 24-27, Lancia Y class will cost ~40 euros or more, depending on the selected car class and rental conditions. You can view conditions and prices

upd 04.11 the price has increased! Now from 280 euros. Please ask for current prices in the comments.

Hotel La Torre 2*, without meals, Pisa, 256 euros
Il Mattino ha l’oro in bocca*, breakfast, Pisa, 259 euros
Casa Betania 3*, breakfast, Pisa, 266 euros
La Pace 3*, without meals, Pisa, 273 euros
Casa San Tommaso 2*, without meals, Pisa, 282 euros
Relais Dei Fiori 3*, without meals, Pisa, 288 euros
Tower Inn Pisa Valdera 4*, breakfast, Pisa, 289 euros
*Bologna 4*, breakfast, Pisa, 302 euros
*Rosso di Sera Relais Tuscany*, breakfast, Pisa, 314 euros
Nh Pisa (ex. Nh Cavalieri) 4*, without meals, Pisa, 333 euros
Casa Vacanze Jessica, without meals, San Miniato, 339 euros
*Borgo Bucciano, 1 bedroom apartment, no meals, San Miniato, 360 euros
luxurious & cheap
*B&B Di Camilla, breakfast, Pisa, 401 euro

"Truffle experience":

International White Truffle Festival in Alba, Piedmont
Festival dates: October 7 – November 26, 2017
Festival website

Some rights reserved by Michela Simoncini

Holidays in ancient Italian Alba are a special topic. In Alba they love holidays, they celebrate them regularly, turning the streets into one large wine library, or even into a huge farmer’s market, and they live by them, rejoicing, from one holiday season to the next.
One of these holidays is the international truffle fair, Fiera Nazionale Tartufo Bianco d'Alba, held here every autumn under the sweet smell of bright falling leaves and the aroma of white truffle, a well-deserved diamond of these lands and a delicacy without which it is impossible to imagine the exquisite dishes of the best restaurants in the world. .

photo from fb

The International White Truffle Festival of Alba has been organized for 85 years and all these years the small town on the undulating slopes of Piedmont's Langhe region has become a gathering place for the most famous chefs and gourmet enthusiasts who come to Alba to taste and buy the white truffle. The main event is an auction where the best types of white truffle are exhibited, which go to new owners at exorbitant prices.

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For almost a month, the menus of local restaurants are full of special offers with white truffle and traditional Piedmont products: hazelnuts, cheeses and famous regional wines - Barolo, Barbaresco, various Barberas and Dolcettas, Arneis and sparkling Asti and Moscato.
By the way, in Alba, on Piazza Pertinace, 3, there is a historical truffle shop called Tartufi Morra, opened in 1930 by Giacomo Morra, who made Alba truffles famous throughout the world. You can buy canned truffle delicacies here throughout the year, and fresh ones during the harvest season.

photo from fb Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo Bianco d'Alba

The fair traditionally begins with a costume procession and a palio (donkey race) and continues with street celebrations and farmers' markets unfolding in the squares, where you can try dishes with truffles, wines, cheeses, sausages, hazelnuts, olive oil and other local delicacies. Among the truffle aroma, cheese Saturdays and artichoke Sundays are held, competitions of meat restaurateurs in the Piedmontese style, tastings of local chocolate with grappa and desserts with the most delicious hazelnuts under Moscato Asti (by the way, Piedmont is the birthplace of the famous Nutella chocolate spread, which was accidentally created by pastry chef Pietro Ferrero, as well as “Raffaello”, “Ferrero Rocher” and other chocolate kinder surprises), wine and culinary master classes with the participation of famous chefs, concerts and art shows, exhibitions of local artists, whose paintings clearly explain the hypothesis about that truffle is a powerful aphrodisiac, through competitions and the election of the Truffle Queen.
In addition, the festival will include a grandiose “medieval party”, a “truffle bacchanalia” and a special dog hunt for truffles.

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Festival dates: from October 7 to November 26, 2017, on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 8 pm. Detailed program

Different dates are possible, please inquire! For example:

Departure 24.11 for 3 nights

Tour program: 24.11 departure and arrival in Turin (regular flight with connection 1 hour 55 minutes), from 24.11 to 27.11 accommodation in Turin/Alba, 27.11 departure to Moscow (regular flight with connection 1 hour 5 minutes). Arrival in Moscow on the night of November 27-28.

Attention! Alba is located 50-60 km from Turin, you can get there by train (~1 hour 11 minutes, ~6 euros one way), details and conditions Or rent a car in Turin. Renting a Ford Fiesta class car for the tour period of November 24-27 will cost ~49 eurosand more expensive, depending on the selected car class and rental conditions. You can view the terms and prices

upd 04.11 the price has increased! Now from 304 euros. Please ask for current prices in the comments.

Accommodation in Turin:
Albergo Guido Reni 3*, without meals, 291 euros
Blu Hotel 4*, no meals, 305 euros
Hotel Sharing 3*, no meals, 306 euros
Idea Hotel Torino Mirafiori 3*, breakfast, 308 euros
Hotel Valentino Du Parc 3*, breakfast, 312 euros
Pacific Hotel Fortino 4*, breakfast, 329 euros
Art Hotel Olympic 4*, breakfast, 342 euros
Art Hotel Boston 4*, breakfast, 362 euros
luxurious & cheap
Alter Hotel 4*, breakfast, 373 euros
Principi Di Piemonte 5*, breakfast, 523 euros

Accommodation in Alba:
Alba Village 3*, no meals, 345 euros
*Alba Residence*, studio with terrace, no meals, 357 euros
*B&B Luna Di Langa*, breakfast, 409 euros
Albergo San Lorenzo 2*, without meals, 436 euros
luxurious & cheap
*Hotel Calissano 4*, breakfast, 542 euros

Additionally, you can book your own excursion "Truffle experience":
The excursion includes a 2-hour walk through the forest with a hunter in search of truffles, held on any day of your choice, in the first half of the day. Language of communication is English or Italian. The cost of the excursion is 75 euros per person, minimum 2 people, for the excursion and truffle tasting after the excursion.
You can book a tour and get acquainted with the programs yourself

To the festival white truffles All gourmets of the world consider it their duty to come. Although this pleasure, to tell the truth, is not cheap. I'm also flying to Alba, trying out the chic Tartufo Bianco. Join us!

A little about white truffle

Alba greeted me with the peace and comfort of good (and not too expensive, by Italian standards) hotels. I specifically decided to come here at the end of the day - November 17, since the most grandiose events of the festival of mushroom gourmets are planned precisely for the last festival weekend (by the way, it officially started on October 6). The specificity of the festival is that it takes place on weekends. On Saturday they gather in the main square of Alba truffle fairs, guests are entertained by street musicians, and the indescribable autumn aroma of mushroom soup and exquisite Italian spices hangs in the air.

You need to visit Italy (namely Piedmont) in October - November for several reasons:

Firstly, nowhere in the world can you see a real white truffle, and discover its delicate, unique taste. This mushroom is not sold for export, and it is generally prohibited to be exported from Italy for industrial purposes. So, if in any restaurant in the world you are offered a dish of truffles (and white ones!), and at a cost of less than $200 per serving, you should know that they want to deceive you in the saddest way!

Secondly, at the fair in Alba you can buy one or two mushrooms for 8 - 10 euros apiece. Try it. This is despite the fact that the festival involves holding a mushroom auction, where famous chefs offer $3,000 per kilogram of the exquisite delicacy!

Thirdly, only on the days of the festival local residents conduct excursions for everyone to the places where the mushroom grows. And this is very interesting! After all truffle You can eat it raw, straight from the meadow!

I hope I convinced you? Then, grab your suitcases and run to the airport! By the way, flying is nothing at all! The distance from Moscow to Piedmont is about 2500 kilometers. Homework!

At the entrance to the town you will be greeted by real medieval crusader knights, in armor, armor and national costumes. They are a kind of symbol of this area, guarding the mushroom kingdom and the mystery that surrounds this kingdom.

Opening of the truffle festival in Italy

I would like to say a few words about the opening of the festival. This event usually coincides with the first Saturday in October. At exactly noon, the knights line up in the central square of Alba. They carry banners in their hands - symbols of the upcoming event. To the sound of trumpets and fanfare, the knights walk around the “mushroom expanses” and declare the holiday open.

Following them, the first one is brought into the square white truffle, and the stalls quickly fill up with people wanting to buy and sell the delicacy. In addition to mushrooms in Alba these days you can try amazing Italian young wine, cheese, sheep sausage and honey.

In the evening, the merchants are replaced by artists and circus performers. A bright, theatrical show, accompanied by national music and colorful costumes - a fabulous spectacle!

And at night, the residents of Alba and other Italian surrounding cities and provinces, as well as numerous guests of the holiday, begin a real celebration of the belly. Local chefs offer hearty treats - roast pork, salami, polenta, almonds, hazelnuts, apricot pudding and chocolate cake.

After the grand opening, every weekend citizens rush to the square. Be surprised, try, rejoice and delight others. But still, the organizers of the holiday always hold the most important trump card until closing. On the night of November 17-18, the carnival starts in Alba!

But it wasn’t even the exciting “wine fishing”, or participation in the crusaders and staged battle, using real weapons, that amazed me most of all. You will be surprised, but for the first time in my life I tried riding a donkey in Alba. These emotions really cannot be expressed in words! And nothing funny! Don't even think about laughing! Donkey races for speed and time are held here. The winner gets a whole kilogram white truffles! Unfortunately, my donkey (which I rented from a local resident) did not take me to the finish line. White truffles went to another gambling rider!

Donkey racing is part of a harmless rivalry between Alba's districts. It was first proposed to determine primacy in this way in 1275. Since then, comic races have been organized annually. And who knows, perhaps it’s only thanks to the truffle festival that donkeys continue to be kept in the city and surrounding farms.

By the way, I’ll share with you another discovery of mine. Turns out, white truffle- one of the most powerful aphrodisiacs existing in the world. For the first time, the well-known Madame Pompadour tried its effect on herself. Perhaps it was thanks to the magical properties of the mushroom that she managed to keep the king’s attention to her person for so many years. I personally am only vaguely familiar with the story of Madame Pompadour, but I have seen the effect of the romance of the holiday and the truffle itself on people with my own eyes!

Truffle- a real delicacy typical of some regions of Italy, such as Piedmont and Umbria. In Italian cuisine, the noble mushroom is used as a seasoning for pasta and risotto and meat dishes, as an additive to bruschetta spread, enriching even the simplest dishes with its exquisite aroma.

Cheese with truffle, salami with truffle, olive oil or even ice cream - please!.

Truffles are not necessarily gourmet dishes that cost hundreds of euros. Truffle can be interesting and accessible to the general public.

Truffles are collected by hand with the help of a specially trained dog. Traditional pigs are no longer used for searching for mushrooms.

White and black truffles, common in different regions of Italy.

The most valuable grows in Piedmont, especially in a small part of the provinces of Turin and Alba, southern Lombardy (Isola Boscone), Emilia Romagna (the hills of Bologna and Forli, province of Piacenza), Marche. Molise and Abruzzo (white Ateleta truffle).

Black The (summer) truffle is more common, but also less valuable.

The most productive areas for black truffles are Umbria and Molise, with truffle production also increasing in other regions such as Campania, Sicily, Calabria and Basilicata.

Autumn is the season of gastronomic festivals, including truffle festivals.

The International White Truffle Fair of Alba awaits you, which is an undeniable opportunity to learn about Magnatum Pico Tuber, but also to discover the folk traditions and thousand-year-old culture of the city of Alba. The 88th Fiera Internazionale Del Tartufo Bianco D"alba will be held from October 6 to November 25, 2018 in Alba.

From 10 to 25 November, traditionally the last three weekends of November, Tuscany hosts the National White Truffle Exhibition of San Miniato (Mostra Mercato Nazionale Del Tartufo Bianco Di San Miniato), where the ancient historical center of San Miniato, with its characteristic streets and historic squares, becomes the largest open-air laboratory of taste in Italy, where gourmets and visitors gather to appreciate the excellence of food and wine. (www.sanminiatopromozione.it)

Another very special event at the end of October and beginning of November is the 53rd National Truffle Fair of Acqualagna - Fiera Nazionale Del Tartufo Bianco Pregiato Di Acqualagna (October 28, 1, 2, 3, 4, 10 and 11 November 2018, Acqualagna, Marche region )

In Acqualagna, up to 2/3 of the entire national production of the precious mushroom is collected - about 600 quintals of truffles of all types.

The entire city of Aqualanya puts its space at the disposal of the event. There are stalls selling fresh truffles in the main square. The Palatartufo pavilion is the most important place for receiving more than 200,000 visitors to the exhibition.

In an area of ​​4,000 square meters, gastronomy lovers can taste and buy what traditional Italian cuisine offers best: the truffle production typical of the area, a variety of products and delightful examples of gastronomic production in other Italian regions.

So about the “hunt”. This will be post number two, and, in my opinion, I won’t even fit into four.)
Here I will utilize the treasures purchased for you into all sorts of “by-products” of truffles.

At the beginning, about “where to look.”
It is clear that we are going to Alba for the whites. And preferably during the season.
We were there at the end of October, that is, at the very right time.
On the one hand, everything around is wonderful with truffles, on the other hand, prepare in advance. We came up with the idea within a week and it turned out that we couldn’t book a single decent hotel within a 20 km radius. Miraculously, the concierge service found us two rooms in a nice old hotel, about fifteen kilometers away. Our friends were not so lucky. And we were going “to visit” a very famous truffle “dealer”, so we managed to avoid a pointless morning “excursion into the forest” for tourists.
He sent with us his best collector named Beppo.
Meet me.

They generally have a funny way of working there. Some territories are private (like Beppo’s), and others are rented by “hunters” for the season. A license is required, if you are caught without and, God forbid, also with truffles, believe me, you will not end up in trouble. And, of course, there are plenty of poachers.
Beppo constantly removed his “traps” from the road, all sorts of sticks and strings placed on the paths at night, to check whether strangers had wandered into the territory. There are these “legislative” signs everywhere.

We got up at half past five, like picking mushrooms in childhood, yeah. We met with him, loaded the dogs and drove off.
The forest is very wet and not at all picturesque. So, if you are expecting a pleasant walk - forget it.
The pleasure of crawling behind what seems to be pointlessly loitering dogs is below average.

A little theory.
Truffles grow underground, in the calcareous soils of deciduous groves, and form a mycelium in symbiosis with certain types of trees - most often with oak, beech, hazel, linden, poplar, willow, and cherry. Black truffles usually live together with oak trees. Whites are less picky and therefore harder to find.
It is believed that the type of tree affects the taste and aroma of truffles - the harder the tree, the stronger they are, that is, oak “gives” the highest quality truffle. Therefore, when buying truffles, an experienced person must compare the smell and texture - even from one mushroom picker, mushrooms collected in the same clearing could grow under different trees, and, therefore, seriously differ in taste and aroma. The soil also has an effect - the softer it is, the more rounded and even they grow; the harder it is, the more “wrong” they are; this is important for them, since this will then affect the amount of waste during cleaning.

And these are “our” truffle lands.

To search for truffles, they traditionally use young pigs or dogs, whose delicate sense of smell can point to a mushroom growing at a depth of up to 30 cm. It is more difficult to teach a dog to search for truffles than a pig, but the pig behaves terribly like a pig with what it finds, that is, it immediately strives for the mushroom gobble it up, and there is no force that can force her to refuse the treat.
Considering that an adult can weigh up to 150 kg... I would not spoil the relationship.
When I was little, a pig took my apple and bit me (yes, I was intractable at first) - it’s not very pleasant, believe me.
And try to transport it to the forest and back. Dogs are more convenient.
And a dog can be trained to give up prey in exchange for cookies. I have never seen “truffle” pigs, and Beppo’s father, and their family is already in the fourth generation collecting truffles, said that specifically in their area no one remembers trained pigs.
In general, for some reason, it is believed that Basset Hounds and Lagotto Romagnolos are the best truffle hunters, but Beppo again said that the most talented truffle pickers are mongrel dogs, but from “truffle” dynasties. And the dog must be short and short-legged. Naturally, it’s like with St. Bernards - there are legendary dogs.
I always wondered how they get them hooked on truffles?
That is, I read in various “sources” about socks in which they hide a truffle and throw it to the dog, rewarding it when it returns it, and about all sorts of different special devices. But here everything turned out to be very simple and unexpected - milk infused with truffles. They have taught theirs this way since childhood, and they use “red” truffles - they are much smaller, but their smell is no less intense, and they are not used in cooking.
We found several.
In general, this is such an unpleasant “false alarm”, the dogs squeal and fuss, dig the ground, and you get something like this...

The dog begins to “love” them, and then it’s like in the circus - well-deserved gingerbread.
A trained dog itself costs several thousand euros. And, of course, there are a lot of stories about precious truffle dogs that are stolen, envious competitors try to poison, exchanged for cars, etc., etc.
For some reason, it is believed that females “work” better.
Although Beppo said that dogs are just like people, everyone is divided into “trainable” and not so much.

We wandered aimlessly and cheerfully for quite a long time. I've already decided that everything...
He, in principle, honestly warned us that it’s like in any hunt - either you’ll be lucky or not, that is, 20 to 80.)

Particular attention, of course, to such areas - this is what a typical truffle place looks like.
The rhizome and soil seem to be burned, and where the truffle grows, grass usually does not grow.
By the way, if you want to find it yourself, but your sense of smell is not sufficiently developed, look for a special “truffle” midge flying above.

The dogs fuss, constantly disappear somewhere, and after two hours of continuous “idle” alarms - good luck!
Beppo drives them away, they are terribly excited.

Now the most important thing is to carefully open them. No spatulas! Everything is done only with your hands and extremely gently.
It is important not to damage the found treasure. And sometimes they grow very meanly and deeply, practically ingrained under the rhizomes.

Hooray! Here he is!
Now the space around is being processed centimeter by centimeter, sometimes you can be incredibly lucky and you will find yourself on a large mycelium.

Each catch is recorded on his phone - then at home he draws graphs with places and dates.
This helps in the next season to track old and new places with myceliums.

Here is his absolute record for one day in 2009 - 500 grams.
Well, he once found a white truffle weighing almost a kilogram, but this is more of a legend.

And this is his biggest for last season - 246 grams.
Even resellers buy these at double the price, an incredible rarity.

In short, we were very lucky, we found several pieces. He said that he was really lucky, since during the entire previous week he only had 25 grams, but we collected 130.
Let's go to his house. This is how successful truffle pickers live; they earn very well by Italian standards.
But it is clear that the season is short, and truffles are practically their only source of income, so they need to make the most of these couple of months.

In the barn on the left (behind the curtain) there are cages with dogs. Locked cages!
And not so that the dogs do not run away, but from “dog” thieves.

And this is the head of the family. We immediately gave the entire catch to him.
Incredible. His grandfather was also a truffle picker.

He touched and examined them for a very long time, clicked, nodded his head, then approved two large ones.

Beppo categorically, as “Sam” asked him, refused to take money from us. Here, I’m absolutely stuck.
It was extremely inconvenient for us; he had been fussing all morning.
Wise Bobus came up with the idea to buy all our catch from him.
Moreover, we offered it as in restaurants (6 euros per gram), but he indignantly gave it at the “market price”. (Exactly half the price.)
Our precious 130 grams.

And this is after a couple of hours.
It’s funny, the entire staff of our hotel restaurant came running to look at the spoils.
They said that we were very lucky, the truffles were of a good size and proudly dragged them into the kitchen to clean them from soil and dirt.

And already on our plates.
To say that it’s delicious... I’d rather not say anything.

I also found many recipes from what I filmed with Sylvester.
In short, to be continued... The most interesting thing, yeah.

ps sank into Dietyshi.
Well, you give! In less than a day, more than one and a half thousand signed up!
Now we can’t get away with it - we’ll become terribly intensely skinny beauties.)
I went to read your wishes.

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Alba truffles are rare underground treasures that require luck, persistence and the help of specially trained dogs to find. In her new article, journalist Erica Firpo, known for her travel and cuisine stories around the world, tells how these strange-looking products miraculously transformed Italian cuisine. Perhaps it's time to take out that bottle of aged Barolo you've been saving for a special occasion and plunge into the atmosphere of the hunt for one of the world's most valuable products.

From a layman's point of view, truffles are small, spongy underground tubers that are attached to the roots of trees. Technically, it is a fungus of the marsupial genus, which during its life forms a symbiotic association (mutually beneficial cooperation) with the roots of shrubs and trees, especially such as walnut and oak (and a few others depending on the region). Truffles spend their mysterious lives underground, until one day a lucky dog ​​sniffs them out. In the literal sense of the word.

Italy is considered the premier playground for all truffle hunters. Here you can find 25 types of truffles, 9 of which are edible. No truffle variety is more delicious, important or sought after than the tuber magnatum pico, or tartufo bianco/white truffle, known as the “Diamond of Alba”.

The white truffle is considered a specialty of the Langhe, Roero and Monferrato regions, which are located in the Italian wine region of Piedmont (Northern Italy), this type of truffle can be found almost exclusively in these areas between October and early December. The Alba white truffle has a cult status among many chefs and gourmets, because even completely weightless shavings of this product can seriously improve the aroma and taste of a dish.

Since truffles are considered rare culinary treasures, their market price is driven by extremely high demand. What happens when Italy experiences a dry summer? The average price set daily at Alba's Truffle Market can soar to over $3,000 for 450 grams of white truffles. Needless to say, visitors with dogs are especially welcome at this market.

When hunting for truffles, the two qualities you need most are luck and perseverance. In Italy, this business is carried out by the so-called trifolau, professional hunters who pass on the knowledge of truffle hunting from generation to generation. Truffle hunting, for obvious reasons (competitors/intruders), does not welcome large numbers of people; it is a solitary endeavor, during which you sometimes have to wander for long hours in the cold night, guided by the moonlight and the sensitive nose of your faithful dog. Since 1985, it has been prohibited in Italy to use pigs in search of truffles because of their special love for this product; they can eat the mushroom before it falls into the hands of a hunter and, worst of all, damage the soil with spores. A trained dog does not touch the soil and allows the owner to take the find for a treat.

When the young dog discovers the location of a valuable mushroom, the trifolau begins to carefully dig in the indicated area with a shovel called a zappino. Trifolau, with great care, does not dig up the entire truffle, leaving a small part with spores in the ground, so that the mushroom can then grow again. To the untrained eye, the white truffle does not stand out in any way. It looks like an unwashed potato, dirty and lumpy with a slightly springy texture. Only when you catch its superb pungent aroma will you realize that this is a special product.

There is only one proven way to experience the sensory pleasure of white truffle - raw. Unlike the black truffle, whose flavors are revealed when heated or cooked with other ingredients, the white truffle best demonstrates its nuances in the form of shavings, which are added to scrambled eggs, Piedmontese pasta Tajarin, and beef tartare.

“You must try the white truffle in its natural raw form. We add shavings from it to cold and hot dishes to complement them.” says Ezio Costa, truffle hunter and owner of the family restaurant Tra Arte e Querce, 30 minutes southwest of Alba, in Monchiero.

Gastronomic combinations of truffles and wines from Piedmont.

For 5 generations in a row, the Costa family has been hunting for local truffles, using them in the simple traditional recipes of their restaurant. The family's favorite dish is a poached egg with truffle shavings and melted semi-hard fontina cheese. As an accompaniment to truffles, they serve time-tested and tradition-tested red wines of Piedmont - Barbera d'Alba, Barbaresco and, of course, Barolo.

Sommelier Sandro Minella approaches the issue from a different angle. As a member of the prestigious Ordine dei Cavalieri del Tartufo/Order of the Knights of the Truffle, whose 300 members live around the world, Minella does not shy away from offering white wines from Piedmont when it comes to pairing with truffle.

“Wine pairing does not happen with the truffle itself, but with the whole dish—sweet, savory, hot or cold”— Sandro shared his opinion.

With fresh, poached or scrambled eggs, Minella prefers to serve white wines with good acidity. His favorites include the 2012 Malvira Trinita Riserva Roero, the 2007 Gaia and Rey Lange Chardonnay and the 2010 Poderi Aldo Conterno Bussiador Lange Chardonnay.

To accompany truffle risotto or truffle tayarin pasta, Minella opts for something “more structured and not overly aged,” like the 2010 and 2012 Scarpa La Bolona Barbera d’Asti.

Minella says meat dishes like tartare require a “richer, more aged wine” to pair with them. He uses Barolo and Barbaresco wines in this pairing because “their tertiary aromas are reminiscent of truffle and go very well with this product.” A good choice would be Paolo Scavino 2011 Rocca dell'Annunziata Riserva Barolo, Elio Altare Arborina Barolo 2004 or 2008, Bruno Rocca Barbaresco Rabaia 1999 or 2004.

Exquisite black truffle cream, which is suitable to accompany desserts Urbani Tartufi, Crema con Tartufo Nero, glass, 35 g

White truffles are difficult to grow outside of Piedmont soils. This is a wild product, its yield entirely dependent on Mother Nature, whose recent vagaries, including a summer drought, have left dogs with fewer finds and people with increased truffle prices. While Alba truffles are still the world's most coveted truffles, not only for their aromatic qualities but also for their elusive nature, the best way to honor their qualities is the simplest - slice the truffle flakes into a small bowl of pasta, risotto or scrambled eggs.

The material was prepared based on an article by Erica Firpo/www.winemag.com

Prepared and translated by Ilya Kuznetsov.