Truffles
One of the stars of a gourmet dinner is, without a doubt, a dish made with truffles. This incredibly aromatic tuber is recorded as early as the Babylonian times, four thousand years ago. Over the millennia the truffle has popped up in history and started to get a strong following in the Renaissance period at the Italian court, with Caterina de’ Medici. Truffles continued to be admired and studied. Finally in the 1920s Giacomo Morra, a famous chef in Alba, named the regional white truffle as “the Truffle from Alba” and created a great international awareness of this unique regional produce.
Truffles can be found most of the year in Italy and France, but the ones with the best aromas are the ones that grow in the damper, cooler months. The distinctive aroma is not dissimilar to garlic, but not the same. It is susceptible to changing weather and can be out of season for a few weeks if the weather is too warm or dry. Pricing is relevant to quantities available, with the rarest being the most valuable.
Fresh Truffles
The White truffle from Alba, Tuber magnatum, is the rarest truffle, with the most intense aroma, it is considered to be the finest of all truffles. It has a dusky beige outer colouring and light cream centre with white veins. It can be found from November to February in the Alba region.
The Black Winter truffle, Tuber Melanosporum, is found in France as well as in Italy. It grows from December to April, if the weather remains cool and damp. Not as rare as the white truffle, this truffle is highly prized for its intensely powerful aroma. The colour is a dark chocolate brown to black and inside it has white veins.
The Black Autumn truffle, (Tuber Uncinatum) is found fairly widely in France and Italy. It grows from September to January. The colour is dark brown to black with a mid-brown centre with creamy white veins. The flavour is pronounced but not quite as strong as the Winter Black or White truffles.
The Black Summer truffle (Tuber Aestivum) is found widely in France, Italy, and southern and eastern Europe from April through to September. The aroma and flavour is considerably milder than the other truffles, however there is still a distinctive truffle aroma to enjoy. The outside is dark brown to black, the inside is a pale brown with white veins.
We can obtain fresh truffles most of the year. Please contact us to place an order and we can usually deliver to your door, within a few days.
Truffle Oils & Salts
In addition to fresh truffles, many ways have been found to preserve their flavours using agents such as extra virgin olive oil and salt. We have a range of preserved truffles products which can bring this gastronomic pleasure to your feast, when you are unable to get hold of fresh truffles.