Truffle lovers are pretty sure that the combination of Europe’s rich terra rossa and relatively rainy summers is the key to unlocking this dense, earthy flavor.
The best part is that no expert can fully describe the mysterious scent and taste of truffles. They are earthy, hot and spicy as well as tasty, while some people even use the term “petrichor” in their descriptions – the fresh smell of rain-soaked soil after a downpour!
However, everyone agrees that the best way to imagine the taste of a white or black truffle is to taste it. Although delightful, truffle-containing products can only give a hint of what to expect from the “real deal.”
And the story of this heavenly taste is somewhat romantic.
In simple words – truffles like trees, but by that we mean specific tree species such as chestnut, hazelnut, oak, red alder, pine, lime, poplar and the tree itself gives the truffle its “character”. When a truffle falls in love with the chosen tree, after a few years it becomes the real mother lode for truffle hunters. These key sites are sometimes literally family heirlooms, so their secrets are passed down from generation to generation for centuries.
There is only one key ingredient left in this beautiful alchemy of Mother Nature – seasons. There is a season for every truffle, and it defines its final taste. The best, intoxicatingly aromatic truffles can be found in late winter or early spring. Summer truffles, on the other hand, tend to be much less intense. The white Piedmont truffle is in the “golden mean” and its season extends from September to January.
All that remains to be drawn is a simple conclusion, a fact with which everyone agrees: tasting a whole variety of natural wonders in a single mushroom is a life-changing experience.