Italy's art of truffle hunting

The precious Alba white truffle is an underground fungus shaped like a wonky tuber, and is famously found in the Piedmont countryside, specifically around Asti and Alba. Uniquely pungent and with a strong, earthy taste, white truffles are finely shaved over pasta, fried eggs, risotto and soups.

The truffle season begins in autumn and is at its best in the coldest months, finishing around December’s end. That they are hideously expensive does not seem to put off truffle lovers, traders, and curious gastronomes, who descend from all over the world upon the little town of Alba for the Fiera Internazionale del Tartufo d’Alba (International Truffle Festival of Alba), held across several consecutive weekends from mid-October. During the festival, apart from indulging in truffle tastings and pairings, you can watch a traditional donkey race, enjoy various art and music events, and witness the fierce bidding on the stratospherically priced white truffles at auction. The average price for a white truffle of Alba fluctuates, according to the season, between £200 and £700 per 100 grammes.

If you have never seen a truffle before, I can tell you that they look a lot less appetising than they taste. They are more like lumpy potatoes than anything else. But don’t be put off by their unassuming appearance; they are much valued and considered to be a real luxury by gourmets the world over. It is quite hard to describe their flavour, but think of a taste that is very intense and vaguely reminiscent of cheese, garlic and shallots. They are a bit of a Marmite taste insofar as they tend to be either adored or provoke instant refusal, but for those who love them, there is nothing quite like them. 

Years ago, I presented a TV series for the BBC called Italian Regional Cookery and one of the programmes we filmed was all about truffle hunting in Piedmont – or Piemonte, in Italian. This was a full on, practical introduction to the secrets of seeking out this elusive and delicious little tuber. On a sunny day in early autumn, when the leaves on the trees had just turned to every shade of brown and red, I’d set out in my sturdy boots to the Alba countryside, accompanied by an experienced trifolau (truffle hunter in Piedmontese dialect) and his trained dog, followed closely by the TV crew. We arrived in the Langhe, a fertile area situated between the Tanaro and Po rivers and the Alps and Apennine mountain ranges. It is a land of rolling hills filled with vineyards and hilltop towns, known for producing great wines, delectable cheeses, and truffles.  

Unlike traditional mushrooms, which grow on the surface, truffles form as hard, knobbly fruiting bodies beneath the soil, close to the roots of hardwood trees such as oak, poplar, linden, hazelnut, and chestnut, and it takes the sharp nose of a dog that has been painstakingly trained since puppyhood to find them. The skill lies in not losing sight of the dog, and getting to the truffle before the dog bites it in their natural enthusiasm or it gets lost in the undergrowth.

Once safely found, the trifolau needs to hold back the dog, dig out the truffle and gently clean it before bagging it carefully. Truffle hunters are very secretive about where they hunt, as the earning potential is enormous and the season relatively short.  Ideally, hunters like to go out hunting in semi-darkness, very early in the morning, so that the dog’s sense of smell is heightened and they can hunt largely undisturbed, but for the sake of the TV show we were hunting in broad daylight, so we were not all that hopeful of finding anything worthwhile.  

Because the dog is so essential to the whole process, every trifolau I have ever met has a deep respect and enormous love for their four-legged partner. Pale coloured dogs, that are easier to keep an eye on in the darkness, are especially prized. The Lagotto Romagnolo is the official truffle hunting breed of Italy, as they have been selectively bred over generations specifically for this purpose. A really good truffle dog can be worth around £6,000.

Rocky, the little dog who led our motley crew through the bracken and dense forest, was a cream-coloured mongrel, and very keen, nose pressed to the ground and dashing through the undergrowth so fast we all had to move at a running pace, carefully avoiding brambles and potholes. And then, without any warning, he suddenly stopped dead and started snuffling and digging furiously – we had our truffle! It was a beauty, the size of a child’s fist, and once in the hunter’s hands he expertly removed the coating of dried mud with his little brush and special knife, then smiled broadly as he passed it around to us for a good sniff of its unique aroma.

Once I had managed to brush all the twigs out of my hair and off my clothes, removed all splinters and tended to the various scratches inflicted by the lower hanging branches in my race through the forest, I was filmed seated at a table in my favourite restaurant in Monforte d’Alba. The iconic Giardino da Felicin has been serving amazing, traditional Piedmontese food in a glorious setting with wonderful views over the Langhe since 1923.

Giorgio, the owner, watched from the sidelines as I spoke to camera, describing why truffles were so special in this area and what I was about to eat. As I talked, a waiter stood reverently at my side, careful shaving truffles over a plate of deep yellow pasta, shiny with melted butter. Everybody was silently concentrating on my speech and I was staring straight into the camera lens. Suddenly, Giorgio, the manager and son of the founder Felicin, called out: “Wait! Wait! Can you afford that?” he was pointing at my plate, which was literally overflowing with a huge cloud of truffle shavings. It was a very expensive plate of pasta – probably the most expensive plate of food I have ever indulged in – but I have to say it was very good and I can still remember how it tasted.

I hope you will have the opportunity to visit this corner of Italy where the white truffle is king, and enjoy the pleasures of this amazing tuber for yourself. In the meantime, seek out the BBC Storyville documentary entitled simply: The Truffle Hunters, which follows a handful of charming elderly men and their beloved dogs in the Piedmont forests as they hunt for the rare and elusive white Alba truffle; it’s a wonderful insight into the tradition and passion of truffle hunting, well worth a watch.

Read more about the food and drink of Piedmont in Valentina's blogs 'Piedmont: Italy's culinary treasure trove' and 'Why Barolo is Italy’s King of Wines'. For a first-hand experience of Piedmont’s cuisine, including its sought-after truffles, you can join Valentina Harris on our specialist-led group tour, Piedmont with Valentina Harris.