Summer Truffle
Harvesting period: from mid-May to late August
White Truffle
Harvesting period: from early October to late December
Black Autumn Truffle
Harvesting period: from early October to late December
Fine Black Winter Truffle
Harvesting period: from mid-November to mid-March
Brumale Truffle
Harvesting period: from January to March
Bianchetto Truffle
Harvesting period: from January to April
"Between the roots of an authentic bond, a fruit of the earth with an inebriating fragrance is born."
Truffles are a true family, with many species within it. The most well-known types of truffles are certainly the black truffle and the white truffle, but the scorzone or summer truffle, with its more delicate flavor, is also highly appreciated. Furthermore, many other types of this fascinating hypogeous fungus grow in different seasons and regions of Italy: the bianchetto truffle, the black autumn truffle, the fine winter black truffle, the moscato truffle, the smooth black truffle and the Bagnoli black truffle.
Truffles are harvested during specific periods of the year for the different species: from December to March for the prized black truffle, from October to January for the white truffle, in the summer months for the scorzone and so on. Moreover, the growth areas of this hypogean fungus are well delineated in almost all of Italy, with particularly interesting areas along the Apennine ridge, in areas such as Piceno, Umbria, Tuscany and southern Piedmont.
Truffle
The origins of an ancient aroma
The Truffle. A fine hypogean mushroom with a bewitched flavour. Pliny the Elder speaks of it, Napoleon Bonaparte loves it, Gioacchino Rossini crowns it ‘the Mozart of mushrooms’. The history of the truffle has had the unmistakable scent of fascination and mystery since its earliest days. The first evidence dates back to Sumerian and Babylonian times, when it was used in dishes based on legumes and vegetable ingredients. The ancient Greeks attributed the origin of the rare mushroom to a combination of natural elements such as water, heat and lightning. Hence, the Latin poet Juvenal then passed the story of the truffle’s birth as the result of a thunderbolt hurled by Jupiter near an oak tree.
The flavor of the truffle and its aromatic notes make it a desire and indulgence in world gastronomy. The peridium and the gleba distinguish each truffle specimen. The outermost part, the peridium, may appear smooth, velvety or rather warty. The gleba, the heart of the truffle, varies from soft beige hues to the warmest darkest hazelnut tones and is furrowed with numerous veins, with reflections that vary from species to species. 80% water, 20% mineral elements, proteins, lipids, soluble carbohydrates.
These are the numbers that make up the truffle, making it the ideal ingredient for any diet.