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Luxury comes at a price and in these straightened times it is a price
not so many are prepared to pay. The ultimate foodie luxury is the Alba
Truffle Tuber magnatum which comes from the Langhe area of the Piedmont
region in northern Italy and, most famously, in the countryside around
the city of Alba.
Back in December 2007, casino owner Stanley Ho paid US$330,000
(£165,000) for a white truffle from Alba. It weighed in at 1.5 kilograms
(3.3 lb) and had been discovered by Luciano Savini and his dog Rocco. It
is hard to imagine that happening in 2010 as we face the bleak prospect
of paying back Gordon Brown’s overdraft.
The problem is, a bit of luxury cheers us up, a few shavings of white
truffle on buttery, fresh pasta can sometimes transport us to an
ethereal, happy place. Thinly sliced black truffles, placed under the
skin of a free range chicken transform the humble bird into one of the
most sensational dishes imaginable. Unfortunately, I don’t have a couple
of hundred thousand to spend on truffles and even if I did, I am not
sure that I would.
When I heard that someone near Deal was finding black truffles in the
woods and sold them to top restaurants in Canterbury and Faversham, I
became intrigued as to how you could get hold of the precious items
without the corresponding price tag.
Truffles are either white, whitish or black. The best of the white ones
are those from Alba as already discussed whilst the best of the black
kind is the Périgord Truffle Tuber melanosporum. Both these truffles
have brothers and sisters that are still exotic, aromatic and delicious,
but are not nearly so prized. The most notable of the 134 poor relations
is the whiteish truffle Tuber borchi which is found in Tuscany, Romagna,
the Marche and Molise.
So here is your buying guide for fresh truffles on a budget:
There are a few auction sites on the net that offer fresh truffles. They
appear to be very expensive. My best results have been from, of all
places, ebay. The UK site has nothing to offer, but if you go to
www.ebay.it [4]
and type tartufo fresco you will find a steady flow of truffle hunters
offering small white truffles (Tuber Borchi) for around £15 per 100g. I
spent £30 and two days later I received twenty beautiful white truffles
vacuum packed. If they had been Alba truffles, the same amount would
have cost me £1500. I call that good value.
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| Black truffles |
To find black truffles try the Italian ebay site and type tartufo nero
into the search engine or go to
www.truffe-enclave.com . This is a small company that
collects truffles early in the morning and has them dispatched to you.
Mine arrived the next morning and were in top condition. Prices vary
according to type and season. Here is what to look out for and when:
TUBER AESTIVUM (15th May -31st August)
This is the summer or St John’s truffle, best served thinly grated over
a salad or on its own, sliced onto a plate with good olive oil and some
Malden sea salt.
TUBER UNCINATUM (15th September – 31st January)
Similar to the summer truffle but with a richer, deeper aroma.
TUBER MESENTERICUM (1st September – 31st January)
A small autumn truffle which is deep black in colour and pungent. This
adds an ethereal quality to terrines or placed under the skin for
roasting Poussin, chicken, pheasant or partridge.
TUBER MELANOSPORUM (1st December -31st March)
The best of the black truffles, rich, intense, aromatic and expensive.
Used to great effect in foie gras
TUBER BRUMALE (1st December -31st March)
The winter truffle, quite intense and versatile.
TUBER MAGNATUM (15th September -15th January)
The daddy, rare, fantastically expensive
TUBER BORCHI (all year round) Also known as Bianchetto,
Marzaiuolo, Marzuolo, Tartufo Bianchetto, Tartufo Bianco this title
covers a multitude of slightly different truffles, and from my
experience you can get different types in one batch. They are truly
delicious.
Happy hunting... |
The
series featuring local Food and Wine, by writer Bon Vivant, is this week inspired by a man in Deal who finds truffles in woods
near the East Kent town.
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