The Langhe: The Scent of Truffles
One thousand dollars may sound like a lot to spend on a pound of
fungus but not if that fungus is the rare white truffle. Much sought after
and fetching princely
sums, these wild underground
tubers, among the best of which are found in Italy, are a delicacy
savored by gourmands around the world. Each year, on the first
Sunday in October,
the much-anticipated truffle season is kicked off with the Fiera
del Tartufo ("Truffle Fair"), which is held in the medieval Piedmontese
town on Alba, the undisputed center of the truffle universe.
What most people
are unaware of is that the harvesting of these mania-inspiring
mushrooms is a cloak and dagger operation worthy of an Ian
Fleming or Tom Clancy novel.
Roaming the hills around Alba from August to January, professional
hunters known as trifolau gather the highly prized and very
costly white truffles,
which grow underground beneath certain oak trees. Most hunters
do their work at night, relying on the dark to conceal their
efforts from others, all of
who have their favorite spots to which they return yearly. Perhaps
the most important variable in the equation, however, is the
carefully trained and
very special truffle-hunting dog. Sniffing out the precious treasure
and without whom the trifolau would be quite helpless, these
dogs are so important,
in fact, that recently there was a rash of more than 30 dog murders.
Who was killing the great truffle hounds of Italy? The cutthroat
competition among hunters guarantees yearly doggie casualties
in a ruthless effort to
protect their territory and livelihoods as a good dog can bring
a hunter $20,000 each season. The more palatable side of the
story, however,
is that
the bounty of truffles found each year is used to create what
some consider to be the most mouth-watering, ambrosial and
indeed (as some believe) aphrodisiac
dishes for gourmet consumption. Gourmet connoisseurs from all
over the world besiege the Alba market (Saturdays from Oct.-Dec.
at Palazzo Maddalena) every
fall to view the award-winning truffles and to obtain the choicest
examples.
The rest make their way to the
world's finest restaurants and into special products such as
truffle-scented olive oils. Alba offers plenty of options for
taking home the truffle experience. Shops lining the main street carry not
only truffle
olive oil but also truffle puree (necessary for truffle risotto,
among other things), truffles mayonnaise, whole truffles, truffle pasta and
many other
items. For the best selection of wines and grappas of the region
to accompany your truffle purchases, head for Il Crutin, just off the main
street near
the Piazza Savona. And one final stop in Alba is the Sacco Pasticceria,
which offers hand-made chocolate truffles in both dark and light varieties.
The
chocolate truffles are flavored with the world's finest hazelnuts,
grown locally. A heavenly haven for food lovers, the tasty truffle season
in Alba
is always a filling and satisfying tourist treat!
