The wonderfully ugly truffle

Several years ago, I was in Caifiordi enjoying some time alone during the first weeks of October. I found out there was a three-day truffle festival in Pietralunga and headed off to explore. I am so glad I did. The square in front of Pieve di Santa Maria, the church in Pietralunga, was full of vendors who had organized exhibitions and tastings. One of the displays contained the largest cheese wheels I had ever seen. The booth colleague was very generous in describing each cheese and, more importantly, in giving me samples. He spoke English quite well and I complimented him on that. He pointed to a wine stand directly in front of him and told me that his “good” English was the result of drinking good red wine. “Actually,” he said, “after enough red wine I can speak Japanese.” (To tell the truth, I notice a great improvement in my Italian after red wine. Of course, this may be a figment of my imagination)

Another stand presented meat products from the Italian wild boar, the cinghiali. This booth even had a stuffed boar for you to peruse. Wild boar, which roams the forests surrounding Caifiordi, is a pest to the garden, but a welcome addition to a meat sauce for pasta.

For years I had read about truffles, the mushroom that is a gourmet delicacy. I knew that this truffle, unlike the chocolate bonbon of the same name, was one of the most expensive food products in the world. Truffles are found in the Umbria region of Italy near Caifiordi. It was in Italy where I met and enjoyed the flavor and tradition of the truffle. Most purists say that the truffle cannot be deliberately grown, but must be located in nature. Dogs and pigs are used for this purpose. Italians prefer to use dogs because, unlike pigs, truffles are not eaten by dogs. The pig, on the other hand, doesn’t have to be trained for the task like dogs do.

Now to the truffle itself. It’s certainly a homey thing that looks like a twisted potato. An ancient myth claims that thunder and lightning make the truffle grow. I am told that this may have some basis in scientific fact. Lightning strikes most often on trees, such as oak, which are very full of water. Oak is the tree most likely to have truffles that grow underground at its base. Truffles come in several different varieties and, in Umbria, they can be harvested almost all year round.

Truffle hunters in our Umbria region keep an eye on the location of the trees where they know truffles to be found. The cooler fall weather attracts hunters and signs that truffles are for sale can be seen throughout the region. The three-day festival in October is a wonderful experience. Each of the town’s restaurants creates a special menu where the prepared dishes are garnished with truffles. It is truly an enthusiast’s delight to be able to enjoy this abundance of truffles in a short period of time. It is also a wonderful way to interact with the townspeople and experience one of their festivals first-hand.