IDENTIFYING

GREAT AND LESS GREAT

ITALIAN TRUFFLES

Tuber Magnatum

This is the classic white truffle of Alba. It is, without doubt, the most highly appreciated variety, the one most in demand and the most expensive. And it can reach the largest size of all tubers.

Name(s) by which it is known in Italy: Tartufo Bianco or Trifola Bianca.

Appearance: Irregular in shape with lobes and a smooth rind of a bright yellow or greenish-yellow color. The interior is a hazelnut tan or chestnut brown and at times features a reddish shading. It has numerous fine veins that disappear if the truffle is cooked. The interior is firm and has a strong, aromatic and highly fragrant odor that is slightly garlicky.

Hunting season: It matures in two periods: in August, at a depth of 5-10 centimeters (2-4 in.), if there has been sufficient rain, and from October to the end of December and beyond.

Provenance: The white truffle is found almost exclusively in Italy and the Istrian peninsula. It is collected in the Langhe and Monferrato of Piedmont, the provinces of Ravenna and Ferrara (in the plain) and in some small valleys of the Apennines in Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Latium, Umbria, the Marches and the Abruzzi.

Truffles are usually found in hedgerows flanking ditches or streams, orchards, sparse woodlands, cool settings like well-drained lowlands and at altitudes not exceeding 450 meters (1,476 ft.). The soils are of medium consistency or slightly damp, similar in characteristics to agricultural terrains.

There are no external signs of the presence of white truffles, while there are such indications in the case of black truffles.

Tuber Melanosporum

This is the other major Italian truffle but it is much less expensive than the white variety—about a third of the price.

Name(s) by which it is known in Italy: Tartufo Nero Pregiato di Norcia or di Spoleto.

Appearance: It is round in shape with a rough black rind with minute, polygon-shaped warts. The interior is purplish-black at maturity with fine whitish veining that becomes slightly reddish when exposed to the air or black with cooking. The odor is aromatic, pleasant and delicate.

Hunting season: It matures from mid-November to mid-March.

Provenance: The area in which the premium black truffle is found is much more extensive than the white truffle’s zone. It grows abundantly in Piedmont, the Veneto, Lombardy, Liguria, the Marches, Umbria and, above all, in France, especially Provence, where it is known under the name truffe du Périgord.

The premium black truffle grows in symbiosis with the oak and hazel, primarily, and other trees mainly of a Mediterranean character. The presence of the truffle is indicated by the absence of vegetation around the tree that is the truffle’s symbiotic partner—these terre bruciate or “scorched” areas are also known as pianelli or pasture. Truffle sites are found in sparse forests or around isolated trees. Production ceases when the trees get to be too dense. The truffles prefer an eastern or southeastern exposure, a sunny position and an altitude of between 400 and 1,000 meters (1,312 to 3,281 ft.).

The terrain should be well drained so that water does not collect in the soil, the clay content of which should be no more than 50%. There must be some limestone, little humus and traces of phosphorus, potassium and ferrous oxide (red earth). The ideal soil for the black truffle is formed of decayed limestone of the Mesozoic Era, which is geologically older than the terrain preferred by the white variety. The black truffle does best when the summers are hot, with light rains in July and August, the fall is cool and the winter is not too cold.

Tuber Albidum

Name(s) by which it is known in Italy: Tartufo Bianchetto or Marzuolo or Cacciola.

Appearance: It has a smooth, whitish rind and resembles the premium white truffle, although it is 25 times cheaper. However, it is rather small and has little aroma, which in any case is garlicky.

Hunting season: From mid-January to mid-April.

Provenance: It is found in the same zones as the premium white and black truffles.

Like the white variety, it does not cause the disappearance of vegetation on the surface of the ground.

Tuber Brumale

Name(s) by which it is known in Italy: Tartufo Nero d’Inverno or Trifola Nera or Forte or Stobbiengo.

Appearance: It has a dark, warty red rind, which becomes black at maturity. The interior is gray and it emits little odor. It is different from the Tuber melanosporum in that its rind is a bit coarser and it has pyramidal warts.

Hunting season: It matures from January through March.

Provenance: The same zones and terrains and in partnership with the same trees as the premium black truffle, with which it is sometimes mixed by sellers intent on defrauding buyers—this truffle fetches a 10th of the price of the premium black variety.

Tuber Brumale Moscatum

Name(s) by which it is known in Italy: Tartufo Moscato.

Appearance: It has a black rind with small warts and a dark interior. It emits a strong odor and has a piquant flavor.

Hunting season: It matures in February and March.

Provenance: The same zones as the Tuber Brumale.

Tuber Aestivum

Name(s) by which it is known in Italy: Tartufo d’Estate or Scorzone or Statareccio.

Appearance: It has a black rind, the surface of which is extremely coarse. The interior ranges in color from grayish to brownish gray and has numerous veins like tree rings. It also has a weak odor of field mushrooms.

Hunting season: It matures from June to November.

Tuber Macrosporum

Name(s) by which it is known in Italy: Tartufo Nero Liscio.

Appearance: It has areddish-brown rind that is generally smooth and a tan. The tuber has a pleasant, slightly prickly but rather strong odor.

Hunting season: It matures from August to Ocrober.

Provenance: It is found in clayey soils in Piedmont but is not much appreciated.

GO TO:

>> SCENT OF A TRUFFLE

>> HOW TO HANDLE TRUFFLES

>> THE TRUFFLE HOMELANDS