The secrets of truffle, the black magic diamond

The simple mention of the word “truffle” and your mind immediately associates it with rustic images from the Périgord countryside in the southwest region of France and the renowned odorous white truffle aroma of Alba, in the Piedmont region in Italy. Since the Greeks and Romans times these mysterious fascinating fungi have been used in Europe as delicacies, aphrodisiacs, and/or medicines.

It is an ultimate luxury product which provides finesse and originality to every gastronomic dish. Like the diamond, the truffle is found in the underground after a meticulous, long and passionate quest, that’s why it is also called “the black diamond”. But actually, the most exclusive and rarest truffle is white and comes from Alba in Italy. It is the only region in the world where those precious white diamonds can be harvested.

How to cook truffle ?

Whether it is black or white, truffle owes its fame and reputation to its difficulty to cultivate, its rarity and its particular pungent and aromatic flavor. The fruiting bodies exude a scent reminiscent of undergrowth, strawberries, wet earth or dried fruit with a hint of cocoa. Their taste, which fully develops after the truffles are heated, is slightly peppery and bitter. Compared to black truffle, the white truffle has a heady scent, as intense as garlic but musky.

Fresh truffles are eaten at their best in omelettes, risotto or pasta, every association with a creamy or fatty element will enhance the voluptuousness of the truffle aroma.