For those with a passion for fine food, the truffle is perhaps THE most prized of ingredients. A small addition to the simplest of dishes can transform it from the ordinary to the extraordinary. The truffle is something that most people only get to sample a few special times in their lives and fortunately for visitors to famed wine region of Barolo, the wine zone itself and the rolling Langhe Hills in which it is nestled are where the most highly sought after truffles in the world come from.
The Alba White Truffle is recognised world wide as the absolute best of the best. These truffles are still not able to be farmed despite many years of research, trial and error. So if you get to eat some of these prized funghi you can be assured that it is wild produce. Due to their notoriety and a demand that far exceeds supply, they are also very expensive. But once you have tasted the real thing, you will understand why. They have a flavour that is at the same time both similar to a degree to the much more widely accessible black truffle, yet is also completely different and unique.
Unfortunately, due to this high price and low supply, there is a big black-market for white truyffles whicvh are often brought in to Piemonte from other parts of Italy (mainly Tuscany) and further afield from central and eastern Europe, where another form of white truffles grow which is still delicious, but pales with respect to the Alba White Truffle in the flavour and aroma it brings to a dish.
If you would like to experience this unique and prized ingredient, Taste of Life Tours prides itself on showing our clients the genuine article.
We can arrange a truffle hunt with a local triffolau to try and find some of these subterranean beauties in their natural forest environment. We do not guarantee a find, but we do not often come back empty handed either as we work with a couple of very experienced local hunters. You can see how the hunter works with his dog, the tools they use to do the work, the type of forest environment which they spend their time working in to hunt for this treasure.
Perhaps best of all is the ability to purchase truffles direct from the triffolau which means you get a far better price than in the shops and markets.
White Truffle season is highly regulated and typically begins around the end of September/early October and runs through the autumn to the early winter months.
The more widely known but no less delicious black truffle is also found in abundance in the Langhe hills. These truffles can be found right through summer, autumn and winter. They taste delicious and as the price is often one tenth that of the white truffle, they are a lot more affordable. Whilst we are restricted to the short season of the white truffle to offer hunts for this prized species, we have a much bigger window to offer hunts for the black truffle.
The cost for a truffle hunt experience is €60pp. Please ensure that you have as a minimum some runners/trainers/walking shoes on. You will be walking through the forest which can vary from firm flat and dusty, to wet, muddy and hilly. It is a good idea to pack a spare set of shoes for after the truffle hunt.
