There are a load of myths about truffles - not least that the white truffle can't be cultivated. This picture from somewhere near San Miniato in Tuscany is a deliberately planted truffle wood. And as you drive through the area around San Miniato you will see quite a few of these truffle orchards - some with hazel, some with oak and most with poplar.And the black truffle associated with France and with Piedmont has been cultivated for hundreds of years - and has been successfully transplanted to North America and to Australia. Plus of course to the UK. And in a newsworthy (and so far unsuccessful) way to Sandringham. It seems that the Duke of Edinburgh's lovingly planted truffle impregnated oak trees have so far failed to produce a truffle - or at least one that the skill of a Lagotto Romagnolo hound can find. The Duke will persevere - his supplier Truffles UK says up to eight years is need for the truffles to emerge, so there's time to go yet!
And let's be clear. Truffles have an intense, powerful mushroom flavour that can turn ordinary cucina povera into the food of the great. A few scrapings of white truffle into your spaghetti carbonara and it is transformed. And added to that classic Tuscan ribollita soup and - as I discovered here - you have a truly great dish.
So the good Duke - and anyone else setting out to cultivate truffles - needs to be patient. It's worth the wait!
1 comment:
Did you HAVE to do that - it's AGES since I had some decent truffle, so now I'll have to get hold of some. Only to help the truffle finders. Obviously.
But, seriously, a few shavings of truffle really DO transform simple pasta into the food of the Gods. I particularly like spinach tortellini with a coarse black pepper, a rinse of unsalted butter and a few white truffle shavings. Mmmmmmmm
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