TRUFFLES: Buried Gastronomic Treasures

              Truffle treasures are displayed by this Wine-Knows participant on the last truffle tour 

Truffles are the world’s most expensive epicurean item.  A type of exotic fungus that grows underneath the roots of certain trees such as hazelnut, oak, or pine, truffles are found by special breeds of dogs with a  heightened sense of smell.  Trained to find these highly fragrant edibles concealed mere inches under the forest’s floor, the dogs themselves are highly-prized.  Due to the exorbitant price of truffles, these highly trained canines have become equally valuable (some have actually been stolen and held for ransom).  No joke.

     Truffles, weighed tableside in restaurants before serving, can easily add >$100 to a dish

Piedmont is home to the tartufo bianco.  This white truffle, known as the “King of Truffles,” is a coveted culinary diamond by Michelin star chefs around the globe. Tartufo bianco is the most intensely flavored of the many varieties of truffles.   Its step-sister, the not-as fragrant-nor-as-intensely-flavored black truffle, is grown in several parts of the world, but it’s the luxurious white truffle which gourmands covet…and are willing to pay mega Euros for this buried edible masterpiece.

                         Alba's Truffle Festival is Italy's largest & most significant food event

The charming medieval town of Alba is the epicenter for the annual White Truffle Festival in October, a decadent month-long food gala celebrating Italy’s most precious gastronomic pleasure.  Autumn weekends are grid-lock with food aficionados from around the world descending on Alba for smells and tastes of the intoxicating white truffle.  They come for the pageantry honoring the truffle:  Medieval parades, music, dancing, truffle hunts & cooking classes.  The fact that Piedmont is also home to the super-star wines of Barolo and Barbaresco is an added bonus.

                Colorful truffle hunters hawk their gastronomic wares at the Truffle Festival

Wine-Knows' Truffle Festival tour to Piedmont this October is sold out with a waiting list.  If you have one of these coveted spots, prepare to taste truffles in a variety of forms:  truffle butter, truffle salami, truffle cheese, truffle paste, truffle sauce, truffle olive oil.  There are also bags of dry risotto with truffles, or even truffle pasta to bring home in your suitcase.

Valentine's Day is approaching.  Why not splurge and have truffles to celebrate?  Amazon can have them in your doorstep in a matter of days.  If it's made from a white truffle, you'll have an early taste of Piedmont.