white gold

It's no secret that white truffles are rare and highly prized by chefs and foodies all around the world. But what would possess anyone to pay thousands of Euros for what is essentially just a mushroom?

Shave them on risotto, eggs or mashed potatoes, the simpler the dish, the better it is to enhance the essence of the white truffle. There is no disputing the unique aroma of the Tartufi Bianchi.

We went in search of these decadent, super expensive mushrooms over a December weekend in Piedmont, Northern Italy, where these truffles are found amongst the countryside in and around the towns of Asti and Alba.

A random Google search and several emails later, we found ourselves in the town of Monchiero - just 30 minutes south of Alba at a nondescript bed and breakfast. I was sceptical at first. The hunt had cost us only 50 Euros for the both of us, whereas many others were charging well over 150 Euros for the same privilege. But my expectations were low. At worse, it was a very expensive excursion to walk someone's dog on some random land.

There were five of us in total on the walk/hunt including the 'hunter' Giovanni. Unfortunately for us, Giovanni spoke not a word of English and us not a word of Italian, save for a few obligatory greetings and pleasantries. Thankfully, the other couple on the walk were kind enough to translate in their broken english.

The hunt was on! Jolly, our truffle dog, led the charge. We donned our wellies, canes in hand and began the steep descent behind the bed and breakfast. 30 minutes in, thorns in my back, thorns on my hands and struggling to navigate the muddy and steep terrain, I was losing hope. Surely by now, we should have found something. Each time Jolly raced ahead and circled another patch of ivy we got excited, only to be disappointed each time.

At last about an hour into the walk, we finally struck gold. White gold. And boy was it a great find! The aroma from the freshly dug white truffle was amazing and unlike anything I have ever smelt. I've smelt black truffles at the delis and restaurants in London and also in Prague but due to the travelling times, they were never as pungent. Fortunately, it was not 50 Euros down the drain but no, we were not allowed to keep the find!