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What are white Alba truffles? White truffles are subterranean tubers (species tuber magnatum). Often referred to as a Piedmont or Alba Truffle, the White Alba Truffle, known as Trifola d’Alba Madonna (“Truffle of the Madonna”), famously grows in the countryside around the cities of Alba and Asti in Northern Italy.
White Truffles grow a few inches underground in chalky, calcium-rich soils near the roots of broad-leaf trees such as hazelnut, poplar, linden, chestnut, hornbeam, or oak trees. They are often mistaken for a mushroom because they are both fungi. Like a typical fungus, the vegetative part of the organism lives underground throughout the year. The difference is that during the fruiting season, the fruiting body of a mushroom grows above the surface, while the fruiting body of a truffle grows below the surface.
Truffles have a symbiotic relationship with their host trees because they are subterranean and unable to photosynthesize; therefore, they rely on their host trees to carry out this process for them. Attached to their roots, the truffles help the host trees by processing nutrients, like phosphorus, from the soil. In return, the tree roots secrete sugars (glucose) into the truffles. As the tree grows, the truffles grow.
From a reproductive standpoint, truffles are distinct from other fungi because they can be male or female. They cannot self-fertilize, nor reproduce like other fungi. To compound the issue, truffles are subterranean and tend to form isolated colonies, often several meters apart, that are either all male or all female. In addition, unlike typical fungi that use the wind to aid in the dispersion of spores, there is no wind underground. So how do they reproduce? Truffles have evolved and use animals to disperse their spores.
Truffles secrete a scent that attracts fungivores (animals that like to eat fungi), dig them up, consume them, and eventually are dispersed through the animals’ feces in nearby areas. These fungivores vary based on geography and include smaller animals such as mice, squirrels, rabbits, rat-kangaroos, and even armadillos. Larger fungivores include bears, deer, baboons, wallabies (to name a few), and of course pigs- attracted to the truffle scent because it mimics the smell of their pheromones.
White truffles are autumn truffles, and the season runs from September to December, continuing into the new year. When it’s time to harvest the truffles, farmers use trained dogs to locate these delectable edibles. Known as truffle hunters, these professionals have been specifically trained since they were puppies to detect the unique scent of truffles. Professional canine hunters will painstakingly go over the growing grounds. Once they are on the scent, they reveal the truffle location to their handlers, who carefully forage (dig) and remove the truffles from under the soil. They will gently clean the truffles and provide a treat/reward to the dog for finding its prize.
Historically, truffles were hunted by pigs (specifically sows), as the truffles contained the pheromone androstanol, also found in the saliva of male pigs. The pigs were very successful at sniffing out truffles, but the problem with using pigs was that they required keen attention; otherwise, they would dig up the truffles and eat them.
White Truffles grow alongside the roots of broad-leaf hazelnut, poplar, linden, chestnut, hornbeam, or oak trees. Traditionally, white truffles were specific to the Mediterranean soil of Spain, France, and Italy, primarily due to the difficulty of cultivating them outside their natural habitat.
Today, mainly due to the incredible price they fetch, truffles are harvested and grown in concentrated areas, abounding with the right host trees and calciferous-rich soil, around the world:
Despite truffles growing worldwide, there is a vast difference in taste, flavour, and marketability among the types harvested. In some places, the truffle species that grow naturally are not widely used for consumption. Although commercial truffle production is global, the prized European species, such as Périgord black and Alba white, are notoriously particular and difficult to domesticate and grow commercially anywhere. It would be like comparing apples to…well, truffles. As a result, most truffle connoisseurs prefer to obtain their white truffles from Italy, especially where they grow wild in the forests around the small Piemontese township of Alba.
As mentioned, the truffles (tartufi in Italian) are highly sought after and much rarer compared to other truffle species. – White Truffles are primarily found in the Langhe and Montferrat areas in Northern Italy, notably in the Piemonte (Piedmont) region, as well as in the countryside around Tuscany, Molise, and Abruzzo. However, in Piedmont, it is most famously found around Alba and Asti. Ideally situated between the Po and Tanaro Rivers amidst the mountain ranges Apennine and Alps; White truffles grow deep in the fertile forests, with its clay-like soil, rich in calcium- perfect for truffles to grow large and robust amidst the roots of their host trees- oak, poplar and linden trees.
In Alba, Italy- known as the “White Truffle Capital of the World” Italians have been celebrating the truffle for generations, and it is home to the International Alba White Truffle Festival; where people from all over the world, gather to celebrate the Alba White Truffle- as they have been since the early 1920s when the fair originated thanks to Giacomo Morra (1889-1963) who introduced an exhibition dedicated to the famous white truffles of Alba. It has since become the premier, must-attend festival for truffle lovers worldwide every October and November.
The International Alba White Truffle Festival is packed with everything “truffle”. Loyal to the Alba White Truffle (Tuber magnatum Pico), the truffle fair is at the center of the truffle universe, filled with cultural and gastronomic events that celebrate the “white-gold” of Italy and bring together people with a passion for exceptional food, taste, and truffles.
The fair boasts the following:
The truffle has been around since ancient times, and some historians believe it was already a delicacy, consumed by the Sumerians and Babylonians 4,000 years ago. The Ancient Greeks are considered the first Westerners to document the origins of truffles and their potential as a foodstuff. Aristotle (384-322 BCE), known as the father of Western physical science, was enamoured with truffles and referred to them as “a fruit consecrated to Aphrodite.”
He painstakingly cataloged the uniqueness of how they grew, as well as their unearthly flavours, and other diverse properties. Another Greek philosopher, Theophrastus (c. 371-287 BCE), wrote about truffles in the 4th century BCE, noting that three different names referred to truffles growing in three distinct regions. (A truffle by any other name is still a truffle). The truffle, identified as the “King of the Table”, has deep roots in Italy, both historically and as an integral part of Italian gastronomic tradition. Since the time of the Etruscans and later the Romans, the truffle has been extensively enjoyed.
Latin scholar Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) wrote of the truffle in his Naturalis Historia– claiming that the truffle, (defined as a tuber in that age- defined in Latin as “outgrowth of the earth”) was “a product of miraculous nature in that it is born and grows without roots” and that it was greatly appreciated on the tables of ancient Romans. In the imperial era, Nero referred to the truffle as “food of the gods.”
The Roman poet Juvenal ascribed the birth of the truffle to a “thunderbolt thrown from Jupiter in the vicinity of an oak”, which was considered a sacred tree. This link to Jupiter, the Roman God of the sky and thunder, and his use of lightning, also associated the truffle with myths of Jupiter’s enchanting personality. It encouraged influencers of the time to suggest that the truffle possessed aphrodisiac qualities. Things snowballed from there, with truffles possessing powers of love, leading to a further legend stating that the truffle was dedicated to the goddess Venus by the Pagans. Many believed that this irregular outgrowth from the earth was “sustenance” on which the devil sustained himself.
Copying the Romans, a Greek philosopher (Plutarch of Cheronea) noted that the truffle was born from the elements (the combined action of water, heat, and lightning). Like the Romans, truffles were often found on the tables of Greece as well. There isn’t much written about the truffle and its culinary prowess during the Middle Ages. Still, truffles resurface in literature during the Renaissance period, where they are found on the tables of notable historical figures, such as Caterina de’ Medici and Lucrezia Borgia, and served at the most elegant dinners across Europe.
The Renaissance gave rise to a myriad of romantic literary works, encompassing a wide range of subject matter, including themes of love and desire. “Opusculus de tuberis”, written in 1564 by Alfonso Ciccarelli, an Umbrian doctor, was the first book dedicated entirely to the truffle. By the 1600s, the truffle was referred to as the garlic of the rich around Europe, most likely due to its garlicky aroma. This association with aristocracy lasted well into the next century.
In the early eighteenth century, in Piedmont, where white truffles were commonly found and deemed rarer than their black truffle counterparts, white truffles soon became highly sought after and were considered the most valuable truffles by all of the aristocrats in Europe, who often partook in white truffle hunts staged by the royal courts as a form of palace entertainment. It is also noted that Piedmont truffles were so highly regarded that they were used as diplomatic gifts by the House of Savoy and received the highest regard by their recipients in the royal courts across Europe. Garlic of the riches indeed.
It was also during this period that the first scientific studies of truffles began to appear. In 1711, Etienne Francois Geoffroy, a French botanist, was one of the first to identify the truffle as a type of mushroom. A decade and a half later, in 1729, Giovanni Bernardo Vigo, an Italian botanist from Florence, correctly identified two varieties of black truffles: Tuber Melanosporum and Tuber Aestivum.
In the late eighteenth century, a monograph on truffles entitled “Lettres sur les truffes du Piemont,” written by Count de Borch, was the first book to talk about the truffles from Alba. De Borch was not a scientist or a researcher, but rather a traveller and observer highly interested in botany. He was the first to declare that truffles were not tubers (as originally thought), but in fact fungi. He wrote about the truffles after travelling to Alba and Monferrato in 1780.
After De Borch, who opened up the scientific era of this magnificent fungi, inspired Vittorio Pico, a doctor from Turin, Italy, to study and write about truffles in 1788, who described white truffles by calling them Tuber Magnatum (“truffle of the powerful”)– giving rise to the botanical name Tuber Magnatum Pico.
In 1831, the truffle was finally given a scientific description by Italian botanist & mycologist Carlo Vittadini. In his book “Monographia Tuberacearum,” he described several varieties of truffles and introduced the science of truffle study, called “Idnologia” (from the Greek “Hydnon”). Vittadini made significant contributions to the science and research of Tuberaceae (truffles), and many truffle varieties, such as the black summer truffle Tuber Aestivum Vittadini, bear his name.
Fast-forward to 1928, when the white truffle of Alba was introduced to the world when an Alban entrepreneur (hotelier and restaurateur) Giacomo Morra, the creator of Tartufi Morra, held an exhibition to promote the excellent food, wine, and tourism potential of Alba. It was at his fair that he coined the term “Alba Truffle”.
In 1933, a London newspaper celebrated Giacomo Morra as the “King of Truffles” for annually gifting a large “trifola” (truffle- to Northern Italians) to newsmakers and famous artists; a marketing stunt that brought a lot of attention both to Alba and the now-infamous white truffles. Over the years and decades, Morra has sent precious truffles to notable dignitaries, including US President Harry Truman in 1951, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in 1953, and Marilyn Monroe and her husband, baseball legend Joe DiMaggio, in 1954.
Since then, the Alba White Truffle has become a global darling and an object of international worship. Thanks to the exhibition, both tourists and gourmands alike flock to the city of Alba to celebrate the truffle. Today, you can find truffles in temperate zones all over the world. From their origins in Mediterranean Europe to the Western and Northwestern corners of Canada and the US, and from Africa, Asia, and Australia, they spread widely. You can enjoy truffles at award-winning restaurants and hotels, banquet halls, and even your own home. We can obtain truffles within days of the truffle hunt and forage, ensuring they remain fresh and flavorful.
What started as an unusual edible in ancient times has evolved into a cherished and highly regarded culinary delight – revered and celebrated by countless devoted fans, foodies, and chefs worldwide and often referred to as the “diamond of the kitchen” – a term first coined by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, an 18th-century epicurean – the truffle is esteemed amongst discriminating food lovers today, much as it has throughout history.
There are a variety of truffle species, and truffles, like other fungi, exhibit considerable variation. Most people are familiar with the notable truffle types, black truffles and white truffles, as they are the most sought after. White truffles are irregular in shape, characterized by spheroids with knobs and outgrowths. They resemble a rough-skinned, dusty-looking potato. They range in size from 2 to 3 centimetres in diameter and typically weigh around 20 to 30 grams. That said, the largest recorded white truffle weighed in at an impressive 1.89kg (how did the pigs and dogs miss that one?). The flesh of white truffles is firm and tan (light brown) with brownish-white marbling (almost the colour of Parmesan cheese).
Like our friends in the animal world, humans are also attracted to truffles- thanks to their musky, earthy, pungent scent. From a flavour profile standpoint, it isn’t easy describing all of the intricate nuances of flavour in an Alba White truffle. Although white truffles are often described as having a soft garlic flavour (not unlike shallots), they also have a rich, deep musky aroma, with nutty peaty undertones mixed in for good measure. Some have described the taste as earthy, pungent, woody, mushroomy, and deliciously funky — they are indeed memorable.
The devotees of white truffles are a passionate bunch who regard white truffles as the actual fruit of the earth. Their flavour is unique and out of this world. Alba white truffles are some of the rarest truffle specimens on earth, the most precious and rare of all the edible fungi. This golden, spongy, potato-looking tuber boasts a pleasantly pungent, earthy aroma —giving way to deeper chords of peaty, woodsy flavours from its white and cream-coloured marbled flesh.
When it comes to eating white truffles, please keep it simple. It is traditional to finely shave truffles with a razor-sharp knife. You can also use a mandolin. If you are a truffle connoisseur, it is likely that you have a special truffle shaver. Once your truffles are paper-thin, white you can use them in a variety of ways.
The premier rule of cooking with white truffles is never to overcook them. Refrain from cooking white truffles. It could ruin their strong, pungent aroma. Heat can destroy their power and diminish the flavour. They are superlative for culinary uses- and added at the end of the cooking process, such as:
Remember, do not cook truffles; instead, let the heat from the dish slightly warm the shaved truffle- releasing its natural aroma and allowing the earthy, musky flavour to come through.
White truffles are subtle yet unmistakable when added to any dish. White truffles are versatile and can be used on their own. You can also add or blend them with other ingredients to extend the flavour and aroma. Create a delightful pairing:
Consume truffles fresh. Once a truffle is clean and in transit, it doesn’t last very long —typically five days. So how do you maximize that truffle freshness? Like most fungi (mushrooms as an example), once removed from its natural habitat, it is susceptible to attack from a variety of “spoilers”. Microbial spoilage (attacks from microorganisms), physical spoilage, and, of course, chemical spoilage (chemicals in the air are the leading cause of food spoilage) are all factors to consider. Air is mainly nitrogen (78+ percent), oxygen (21+ percent), and (1%) of other gases. In the case of truffles, the key is to keep them dry.
To best preserve truffles, store them in an airtight container and refrigerate them. At the very least, store them in paper towels (the paper towels will absorb moisture). In addition, do not clean the truffle until you plan to use it- again, moisture is the enemy. Avoid condensation and humidity, which can cause decay and speed up the spoilage process.
If truffles have moisture, use them up as quickly as possible. Do not store the truffles in rice. Storing truffles in rice only dehydrates the truffles and absorbs the aroma, which is excellent if you want very expensive truffle-infused rice, but it robs all the flavours from the truffles.
Similar to other fungi, when cleaning white truffles, it is important not to wash or submerge them in water. Instead, wipe the exterior with a soft mushroom brush or cloth to remove or loosen any soil or debris before use. You can also remove dirt from any crevices or pockets using the tip of a paring knife, and then rebrush as needed. Ultimately, you want to experience the truffle on its own, without contaminating it with added dirt or debris.
If your stored truffles are reaching the end of their life and you can’t use them soon, you can dehydrate them. You can also infuse truffles in oil, salt, or butter. Avoid freezing the truffles, as it introduces moisture. Lastly, it is essential to store the truffle separately.
There are many outlets available that sell fresh truffles. Epicurean and specialty stores, as well as truffle brokers, can be good places to buy from. It’s the same with outfits that source truffles directly from regional truffle hunters. Buy truffles like these if you live in Italy or in a region where fresh truffles are sourced. You can also get fresh white Alba truffles online right here. We are fine purveyors of caviar and exceptional-quality foods. We have something for everyone. Try our gourmet food from around the world right here in Canada.
