Truffle season has diners scrambling

November 9, 7:47 PMDC Italian Food ExaminerSusan Ciriello

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White Truffle
CC Lucarelli

‘Tis the season when Italians celebrate what has been prized since Greek antiquity as a gift from the gods. Chefs and their customers salivate as they wait for news of its availability. The highest price paid so far was in 2006--3.3 pounds of the delicacy cost the buyer $160,406 or $3,037 an ounce. We’re talking truffles...part of the fungus family, tuberales.

Ranging in color from off-white to dark brown, the most prized Italian truffles are the pungent whites from Alba in Piemonte. Black truffles are less costly corresponding to their less intense flavor. Each season yields a different amount and quality of truffles depending on climate, soil and tree pairing. Specific temperatures and humidity will cause a truffle spore to germinate into a tiny fungus, with threads that latch onto a tree’s roots. Sap from the tree feeds the truffle as do slightly alkaline clay soils. Oak, chestnut, poplar and walnut trees are among the tree types favorable to the fungus. Generally a root will produce one truffle per year, repeating the process each year unless disturbed. 

"Reserved Truffle Harvest"
Photo by Author

Growing 4 – 8 inches underground, truffle hunters traditionally used female pigs to sniff out the hidden truffles. Unfortunately, the pigs enjoyed eating them as much as humans so dogs are now preferred, being more easily trained. Prized for their skills, the dogs are quite valuable themselves. The hunter and dog often work secretively in the dark or in fog, hoping to evade competitors and tax agents. Always on foot, they may travel up to 25 miles to harvest their treasure. In order to preserve a dwindling environment, some hunters have formed collaboratives to control harvesting, replenish trees and save their livelihood.

Almost always eaten raw, white truffles are left unpeeled and usually shaved over dishes. Black truffles release their flavor through cooking, often being peeled first. Fresh is best however black truffles are frequently canned or jarred while both white and black truffle flavoring may appear in oils or butters. 

Black Truffle
Dean and DeLuca website

Local chefs purchase a limited supply of fresh truffles at this time with customers phoning and twittering to land a seat for a taste. Chef Todd Gray at Equinox currently has white truffles on his dinner menu, paired with gnocchi as an appetizer for $60 or as an entree for $100. At Dino in Cleveland Park, Dean Gold has a white truffle risotto for $45 or about 3 grams of shavings added to a dish for $25. Black truffles will be appearing on menus in the next few months as they are harvested and shipped.

Enjoy this delicious and limited seasonal indulgence. To purchase and hoard your own black truffles, Dean and DeLuca is offering them online, directly from Italy. Truffle oils are also often available at Whole Foods, Wegman’s or Balducci’s.