September marks the beginning of Truffle Season, which usually ends around Dec. or Jan....Black truffles have summer and winter varieties, but, everybody knows............ the best of this coveted, underground fungi is the white truffle.
Truffles (above) look like an irregular rock type formation that has a pungent odor and unique taste....
When in Rome, I was fortunate enough to eat at a restaurant in the Jewish Ghetto that served shaved truffles on our pasta. they actually use a special truffle grater at the table, right before you eat. I cannot even describe the taste, yet I'll never forget it. The pasta was perfectly al dente and the sauce was so minimal so as to not distract from the flavor of the truffle. To truly enjoy these rather expensive delicacies, though, they must be eaten shortly after harvesting. Otherwise they lose their flavor with time. And harvesting them is no simple task......pigs or dogs are used to sniff out these "tartufi" (truffles), after which they are carefully dug up and preserved for quick transportation.
Truffles usually grow at the roots of certain trees in several different areas (even some in Oregon & other parts of the U.S.) - But they've made quite a name for themselves in Italy. Piedmont, Tuscany, Umbria, and Le Marche are the regions most popular for harvesting truffles. In those areas they have Truffle Festivals (Oct/Nov) where they market the truffles and have food, festivites, and marching bands in the town's streets. What a festa we are missing out on.....
And while some truffles can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, we can enjoy a small taste of what they are really like with truffle oil. But if you get your hands on some, shave them onto your favorite dish or even into butter. Truffles are heat sensitive so when you shave them into soft butter, you can store it in the freezer for later.
And did you know that truffles are so pungent that they can penetrate the shell of an egg? So store them with eggs and when you're done with the truffles, make an incredible omelette that will have absorbed the truffle flavor.....
Share your truffle memories.....or perhaps where to get some.....
1 comment:
I have a favorite truffle story. Uncle Gary and I were in Orvieto, Italy in the region of Umbria during May. Among the things that Orvieto is famous for, is it's beautiful cathedral in the center of town. We found a little restaurant just a short walk from the cathedral and selected it to have our lunch. The waiter spoke some English, but was not fluent. We looked at the menu and to our surprise we saw pasta with fresh white truffles. As you described in your article, May is not truffle season. Uncle Gary, who can speak Italian a bit better than I can, asked in Italian, "how is it that you have white truffles at this time of year?" The waiter replied in rapid fire Italian (assuming Uncle Gary understood, but really he didn't). However, I did understand him and his response was "It is not only in the cathedral where miracles happen." Well obviously white truffles at that time of year were not a miracle, they must have found a good way to preserve them in the caves Orvieto is famous for, but the dish was delicious!!
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