The classic way to enjoy it is with tajarin, a very fine, egg-based, fresh pasta from Piemonte, lightly tossed in butter. The truffle is then shaved over the top with a special truffle shaver.

The white Alba truffle season seemed to have benefited from late summer rains and an early autumn, leading older truffle hunters to predict that white truffles would appear in large numbers from late October onwards and then continue into November and December. The White truffle is a rare and seasonal fungus that grows underground, forming a symbiotic relationship with certain tree roots. It is typically harvested from October to December, and its distinct aroma and flavor make it one of the most sought-after ingredients in the culinary world.

Tuscany is one of the most popular regions for truffle hunting. Particularly popular locations are the forests surrounding Florence and San Miniato. Umbria If you are in Tuscany in autumn, one truffle-based event to try is the San Miniato Truffle Fair, known as the La Sagra del Tartufo Bianco. Held in the beautiful medieval hill town of San Miniato in November, the event usually takes place over several weekends – most typically the last three weekends of the month.

Harvest: The white truffle season starts at the end of September, but they reach their peak in October and November. It is illegal to sell them before September to ensure quality.

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Tuscany is home to around 25% of Italy’s white truffle produce so there will be plenty to go around and it’s the go-to region if you are new to truffles. The festival is also a great place to visit for a day out with food and craft stands, as well as entertainment and restaurants that allow you to try their truffle menus. San Giovanni d’Asso Truffle Festival Vegetables: Add a touch of elegance to roasted or sautéed vegetables by drizzling them with truffle-infused olive oil or adding shaved truffle as a finishing touch. The truffle's aromatic qualities will elevate the flavors of the vegetables, transforming them into a gourmet side dish. It is found mainly in the Langhe and Montferrat areas [2] of the Piedmont region in northern Italy and, most famously, in the countryside around the cities of Alba and Asti. [3] Acqualagna, in the northern part of the Marche near Urbino is another center for the production and commercialization of white truffles, and its annual festival is one of the most important in Italy. [4]

Shape and colour: They almost always are irregular in shape, with a smooth dirty beige surface that ages to a brown. The colour of their flesh is solid, light-coloured, and very brittle and varies from milky white to deep pink, depending on the age of the tree with which it is in symbiosis. A white truffle is born through spores, tiny seeds of old truffles, which only flourish in places where a previous truffle grew or where an animal who feeds on truffles spreads them. The spores marry with the roots of the tree, coming together to produce the mycorrhizae. This union creates tiny filaments called hyphae, which weave themselves together to form the mycelium (the mass of tubular filaments of fungi). This unique life cycle, which takes place just a few inches underground, is the process through which the iconic aroma develops; the fragrant scent is kept intact within its cozy home in the soil–in the Alba region, made up of primarily clay and marl, a healthy composition that allows truffles to grow larger. Because of its delicate nature and extreme dependence on the natural environment, the Tartufo Bianco d’Alba doesn’t usually grow in polluted or highly cultivated territory, making them extremely rare and precious. Nicola Twilley (8 December 2014). "The World's Largest Truffle Goes to Auction". The New Yorker . Retrieved 2 January 2016. White truffles can also be found in Molise, Abruzzo and in the hills around San Miniato, in Tuscany. They are also found on the Istria peninsula, in Croatia in the Motovun forest along the Mirna river, [9] and in Slovenia along the Dragonja and Rizana river, [10] as well as in the Drome area in France. Tartufo di Pizzo has protected geographical indication in Italy, [1] because Pizzo is the historical location where it was created as a "dessert of chocolate and hazelnut gelato balls filled with molten chocolate sauce and dusted in cocoa powder". [2] History [ edit ]

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a b Daniela Galarza (2 December 2014). "World's Largest White Truffle Unearthed in Italy". Eater . Retrieved 2 January 2016.