You all have, at least one, heard a friend who was talking about truffles. You may still be wondering what he was really talking about. What is a truffle? A very particular mushroom that grows underneath the ground instead of being on its surface. In particular, truffles are linked to the roots of specific kinds of trees, like the oak, poplar, willow, hazelnut and linden trees.

There are over 60 kinds of truffles in the world. Out of these 60, only 9 are edible, and only 3 are white, the finest of all. In 1929 in Italy, in Alba, Giacomo Morra started what is now the International Fair of the Alba White Truffle!

1.

The easiest way to preserve a fresh truffle is to store it in the fridge, closed in an airtight food container, covered with some paper towels (which will be replaced every day). In this way it will save for a week.

2.

There are places where it is possible to go truffle hunting during the night, in Piedmont, for example. This search method dates back to the Savoy age when truffle hunters were local farmers who would find and sell fresh truffles to wealthy lords, the same truffles they had found on the lords’ lands during night time!

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In the past, the truffle hunt was carried out by pigs, sheep and even goats, nowadays most truffle hunters buy trained dogs or train their own. Is there a specific breed of dog used in this situation? The answer is no, but there are breeds easier to train. The Lagotto Romagnolo, for example, has been employed in the field for more than 130 years!

4.

In Italy, to go searching for truffles, you need a dog… and a licence! The province releases tehe licence after a succesful qualifying examination, which will allow you, as a Truffle Hunter or Truffle Man, to go searching for truffles in all the national territory (obviously only where it’s permitted by Law) and in allowed times.

5.

Truffles grow in many countries around the world, but Italy holds the primacy for the “Tuber Magnatum Bianco Pregiato” white truffle, the rarest and most valuable of all. The traditional fair takes place every year in Alba. In the near castle of Grinzane Cavour, every year there is also the Alba White Truffle World Auction. In 2018, a rare 850-gram white truffle was sold here for 85,000 euros ($96,000) to an anonymous Hong Kong buyer. But remember: the sale is for charity therefore the price doesn’t correspond to the market price!

Discover our Truffle Hunt Experience and be truffle hunter for a day! The truffle hunter, or trifulau, will share with us some of the secrets of this fascinating job!