There is crime afoot in the idyllic landscapes of provincial Italy as men and beasts seek out priceless white truffles.
A crime of passion like no other, the gently rolling hills of Italy’s Piedmont have long been rocked by intrigue and wreathed in secrecy. For this is truffle land, the epicentre of those magical fungi, where trained dogs are kidnapped like rich heiresses and where old men wander the night-cast countryside in search of white gold.
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Exploring Piedmont, its grape groves and gently meandering River Tanaro, you may well bump into a trifolau, the bounty hunters of the white truffle market, who lean on traditional wooden canes, their truffle-tuned dogs at the heel. They may nod, or even smile, but they will not share their knowledge, for they are the servants and the keepers of the elusive tuber magnatum, white truffles, the world’s second most expensive food (after Beluga caviar).
Truffles, to the non-converted, may pose a string of questions; why do we value these rare, peculiar fungi like precious jewels? With white tubers fetching between US$1,500-$3,000 a kilogram (in 2007, casino owner Stanley Ho set the record for the most expensive truffles on record by paying GBP165,000 or US$213,000 for a single white truffle weighing 1.5 kilograms), it’s clear why secret truffle-bearing locations are whispered from generation to generation and not even revealed to researchers, but what started this fungi fascination? Why are dogs stolen in the dead of night while men, reeking of the prize, loudly declare their pockets empty?
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The origins of this acquired taste are as ancient as anything else we consume. While black truffles can be found in the UK, France, and even Australia, and are often cultivated, white truffles are found predominantly in Italy. For centuries, it was thought white truffles grew only where lightning struck, a great excuse for Greeks who ate them as the ultimate aphrodisiac. Byron, that blood-soaked sensation, was rumoured to keep one on his desk to stimulate his creativity, while truffles were a favourite for the likes of Churchill and Emperor Charles V.
The queen of truffles is white and is found in the damp, rich soil of Piedmont, varying in size from smaller than a pea through to some of the largest ever found, up to half a kilogram in weight. The season when the men of the village roam the forests, digging in the roots of oak, hazel and beech trees, runs from September to December each year.
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However, thanks to the efforts of some very special Italians, we can enjoy the best of the truffle booty year-round with a range of gastronomic indulgences available at good gourmet stores. These include truffle-laced pasta, oils, cheeses, polenta, and even chocolate. This means that no matter what a novice you are in the kitchen, or the fact that you’re not out in the mists of Piedmont with the old men, you can indulge in the world’s most famous fungi.
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