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The Truffle: unlikely queen of cuisine
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Despite it's rather inelegant appearance -- something between a petrified lime and a moldering avocado seed -- the truffle is prized by gourmets throughout the world. It is without doubt one of the proudest products of Italy's greener regions: Monferrato, Langhe, Roero, Collina Torinese and the Ligurian-Piedmontese face of the Apennines.
There are two species of this uncommon tuber particularly of interest
to a chef, the Tuber magnatum Pico (the White Truffle) and the Tuber
melanosporum (the Black Truffle), although there are actually a number
of lesser varieties not to be wholly discounted. The Norcia Black Truffle
(November-March) for example, is not at all to be sneezed at, and sells
for nearly half the price of the White Truffle. The Bianchetto (January-April)
is another, quite good only when freshly gathered. The so-called winter
truffle (November-March), represents an excellent cost/value relationship
and is often used in fillings, sauces and patés; the Scorzone is a black
truffle found in Fragno (May-December), which comes into its own minced
and sautéed in butter; the smooth black truffle (September-December),
is optimal eaten raw and is often considered a good substitute for its
exalted white cousin. The most highly regarded, of course, is the Tuber
magnatum, a white truffle gathered from October to December, at its
best in November, and sold for the heady price of approximately $1000.00
a pound.... |
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Of
the Italian white truffles, that from Alba is the best, prized for its
aromatic properties, intoxicating aroma and exquisite, unmistakable
flavor. The truffle's unique qualities have contributed a great deal
to the rise of the Piedmontese cuisine to the high position it enjoys
among Italian regional cuisines. This particular type of truffle is
different than the French Périgord, and grows only in Italy. It's arrival
in the fall is always accompanied by a raucous assembly of fairs, dogs,
truffle hunters, gourmets and traders.