{"id":3454,"date":"2019-10-07T09:39:33","date_gmt":"2019-10-07T14:39:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.effettoitaly.com\/en\/?p=3454"},"modified":"2020-04-08T23:03:02","modified_gmt":"2020-04-09T04:03:02","slug":"ode-to-the-truffle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.effettoitaly.com\/en\/blog\/ode-to-the-truffle\/","title":{"rendered":"Ode to the Truffle"},"content":{"rendered":"Truffle season is upon us
\r\n\r\nOctober is here, and foodies everywhere can finally rejoice\u2026 truffle season is upon us! For truffle lovers, nothing quite compares to that earthy, umami delight, which is (literally) worth its weight in gold. And Italy, the second largest producer of mushrooms and truffles in the world, is home to the delicacy, the rare, white truffle. If you\u2019re lucky enough to be in Italy (and can spare the expense), it\u2019s worth seeking them out.
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\r\nWhat is a truffle?<\/strong>
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\r\nDerived from the Latin word, tuber (lump), a truffle often described as a subterranean fungus. It resembles a small, lumpy potato and is found beneath the soil near the roots of trees. In the past, pigs were used to sniff out the tartufo<\/em>. However, this practiced has largely ceased, as the pigs would end up eating the prize as soon as they uncovered it. Now dogs are more commonly used on the hunt.
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\r\nCherished over the years<\/strong>
\r\n
\r\nDating back to the Etruscan times, truffles have been used as both aphrodisiacs and therapies. It was believed by the Romans that they developed in the ground after lightning struck the earth. During the Renaissance, truffles experienced a resurgence during the reign of Louis XIV when they became associated with the noble class. Today, truffles are regarded as a culinary treasure and command top dollar \u2013 upwards of $3000 a pound. In fact, the year of 2018 was one of the least expensive years on record, but still coming in at over $1000 per pound.
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\r\nDelectable to eat<\/strong>
\r\n
\r\nTruffle preparation turns out to be amazingly unfussy for something so cherished. White truffles should not be cooked. The best way to showcase this aromatic ingredient is to just grate or finely slice over simple dish and let the truffle flavors stand alone. Think pasta, eggs, polenta, butter, potatoes, etc. Delish!
\r\n
\r\nWhere can I find white truffles?<\/strong>
\r\n
\r\nTruffles need a chilly and humid climate in order to survive. In Italy, white truffles can be found from October to early January in Piemonte, Tuscany, Umbria and Le Marche. Many restaurants will showcase them in their autumn menus. And because this is Italy, there are, of course, festivals and sagre that celebrate the white truffle throughout the fall.
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\r\n

Piedmont<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

    \r\n
  • Alba White Truffle Fair and Market: One of the most famous in Italy, this fair in 2019 runs from October 5 to November 24th<\/sup>. <\/li>\r\n
  • Moncalvo Fiera del Tartufo: The last two weekends in October, in the Monferrato area of Piedmont<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

    Tuscany<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

      \r\n
    • San Miniato  –  La Sagra del Tartufo Bianco: The last three weekends in November in the medieval hill town of San Miniato.   <\/li>\r\n
    • San Giovanni d’Asso Truffle festival – the second and third weekends of November<\/li>\r\n
    • The Volterragusto in Volterra, the last weekend in October and the first weekend in November.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

      Le Marche<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

        \r\n
      • 54th National Truffle Fair of Acqualagna, October 27th<\/sup>and November 1-3rd, and 9-10th<\/li>\r\n
      • Sant’Angelo in Vado, Mostra del Tartufo Bianco, the last 3 weekends in October and the first weekend in November<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n

        Umbria<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

          \r\n
        • Mostra del Tartufo e Patata Bianca 2019 in Pietralunga, on the second weekend of October.<\/li>\r\n
        • In Savigno, Sagra del Tartufo, the first three weekends of November.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
          \r\nWe hope everyone gets the opportunity to sample this very Italian indulgence. Interested in personally experiencing the thrill of the hunt? Email us about our guided truffle hunts or comment below!
          \r\n
          \r\nHappy eating!
          \r\nCiao for now,
          \r\n
          \r\nThe Effetto Italy Team","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          Truffle season is upon us<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3456,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3454","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-and-wine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.effettoitaly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3454","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.effettoitaly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.effettoitaly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.effettoitaly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.effettoitaly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3454"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.effettoitaly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3454\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3458,"href":"https:\/\/www.effettoitaly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3454\/revisions\/3458"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.effettoitaly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.effettoitaly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3454"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.effettoitaly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3454"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.effettoitaly.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3454"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}