Selling for 100 to 500 euros per kilogram, white truffles are referred to as the White Gold of Alba. For centuries, white truffles have been regarded as a gastronomic delicacy that only the very wealthy could afford. Even in ancient texts, the truffle has been written about as a great luxury enjoyed by kings and queens. The aroma is difficult to describe: earthy, umami, a note of garlic, perhaps. Truffles smell like…truffles. Unique. Perhaps this is why they are so highly desired? They’ve even been endowed with aphrodisiac benefits. Well, a good meal is a good start!
Bad news. White Truffles cannot be cultivated.
White truffles cannot be cultivated. What is known about them: they favor the roots of certain species of trees: poplar, oak, willow, linden, and hazel. Certain climatic conditions are desirable for growing truffles, as well as alkaline soil. The Langhe and Monferrato areas of Piedmont, Italy, are famous for producing the most aromatic truffles and the largest quantity, though they are found in limited quantities in other areas of Italy, Croatia, and Slovenia.
This is a lot more than I knew about truffles until just a few months ago, when I found myself on a Tartufaia (truffle farm), near Asti, in the region of Piedmont, Italy, where you will also find one of the most beautiful Italian lakes.
The beautiful hills around the Monferrato area of Piedmont, Italy, are known for the best white truffles in the world.
I had never even seen a white truffle before (come to think of it, I’m not sure I’d seen a black one either), and there I was on an actual truffle farm with the truffle hunter Egidio, his dog Brill, and Matteo, my guide from Meet Piemonte. It was one of those rare life experiences where I could step back and see myself in the situation. Egidio talked non-stop in Italian, Matteo translated as fast as he could, and Brill ran about rather helter-skelter. It all seemed a bit dream-like, and yet I felt completely grounded in this place.
Egidio with his hunting dog Brill.
Truffles favor certain leafy trees: willow, poplar, hazel, and oak.
Truffles like certain types of soil and trees…
According to Egidio, who cooperates with the University in Turin to collect information on the climatic conditions, soil, and other factors, the truffle will grow in more or less the same place each year, IF it grows at all.
For visitors to the Tartufaia, Egidio always plants one truffle so that he and Brill can illustrate an actual truffle hunt. The relationship between the truffle farmer and his dog is the key to finding the elusive white truffle. It was a little early in the season, so there was no guarantee we’d find anything else aside from the planted truffle.
Found one! Here I am looking pretty happy with the first white truffle I’ve seen – ever.
Egidio led Brill to an area where truffles had been found before, and with a subtle gesture, commanded him to sniff the area. If the savory aroma was detected, Brill would go to work digging until Egidio commanded him to stop, giving him a treat for finding the truffle, and then removing the truffle from the soil himself. It seemed so simple, yet it was hard to grasp that these ugly, knobby-looking fungi could cost up to tens of thousands of dollars.
Can that thing really be worth several thousand dollars?
We continued our walk through the woods, while Egidio explained why the soil in this area is ideal for the truffles. He pointed out an area where you could see the layers of sediment where once the land was covered by the ocean, and told us many seashells are also found in the area. The white truffle favors this alkaline, damp clay soil, as well as the trees that grow there.
Truffles favor an alkaline soil. Here you can see where once water covered the earth, now a perfect location to grow truffles.
We found several more truffles that day, and these finds were not staged. Egidio was quite pleased and a little bit surprised. Later he hugged me and told me I’d brought him good luck. Hey, I’m for hire!
As we walked back to the car, Egidio told us that he was a third-generation farmer and that before him there had been a period when truffle farming was not so popular. Many farms had been allowed to return to the wild. But he enjoys truffle hunting and working with the land. His nephew will be the next to inherit the truffle farm. Who knows, maybe by the time the nephew takes over the farm the mystery of the white truffle will be solved.
Here’s a white truffle all cleaned up for the market. Still ugly.
My thanks to Egidio for his time and hospitality in explaining his life’s work to me. To Matteo for translating, and to Meet Piemonte for showing me a slice of life and culture in Piemonte, Italy. This area has a rich heritage of food and wine and was recently added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
To arrange a tour with Meet Piemonte, you can contact them via this link.
La Tartufaia raises not only truffles but a variety of other crops to supply the restaurant there on the agriturismo, which is a working farm open to visitors. You can book a visit through Meet Piemonte.
Do you like truffles? Leave a comment and let me know.
Still curious about why white truffles are so pricey? Read this fun article from food writer Josh Ozensky for Time Magazine.
20 comments
[…] places time and time again, and discovering new things along the way too. Her article titled ‘On the hunt for White Truffles: Piedmont, Italy’ is a favourite of […]
I wouldn’t mind find a truffle and making some extra cash 🙂
It sounds like you had an interesting experience. It’s definitely something I would like to do!
I know right!
What an adventure! I had no idea that white truffles were so hard to find. Can only imagine how delicious!
It was indeed. I didn’t know either, that’s what is so fun about these sorts of experiences.
Great story- I’ve never seen a truffle myself so it’s interesting to see how these are found. Also, I really enjoy reading these kind of stories- micro stories- I like to call them- about people and their work in places around the world.
Hey Natasha, micro story is a great description. Thanks for reading.
What an interesting experience to have, I don’t think I have ever tried a truffle
This was really educational for me, thanks!
Very interesting read. I love truffles and I know that in some countries they use pigs to find them. No wonder they are so expensive when they are so hard to find!
Mmmh…I’ve only ever had black truffle – it’s interesting that the white one’s cannot be cultivated. What a spectacular experience to be part of…especially if you are a foodie…Ohhh…i’d love to go back to Italy!
Do it!
Interesting read, how did the flavour compare to the black truffles?
I didn’t have black truffles there. Only the white ones. I’ve had black truffle in the US but can’t really give an honest comparison. I can say the white ones are more aromatic.
What a great story! I now know a lot more about truffles than I did before. So, did you like the taste??
Thanks! Yes I do like them. But I not enough to pay the hefty prices!
Very interesting, I have never had a truffle, neither white nor black. Next time I get the chance I will definitely have a taste. I had heard that they still use dogs to find truffles but had no idea that they cold not be cultivated.
The black ones can be, but the white ones can not. Important distinction. Thanks for the comment.
Penny, what a lovely opening shot! Having also met Egidio and Brill a few weeks earlier, when it wasn’t yet the white-truffle season, it’s nice to see how a hunt actually unfolds. What did you enjoy your truffle with?
A little pasta. It was a tiny one. 🙂