The Truffles of Alba Alba

The scientific name of this subterranean fungus is Tuber Magnatum Pico, better known as the White truffle of Alba, from the name of the ancient city, Alba Pompeia, which also gave birth to the Roman Emperor Pertinax. This truffle, known in the local dialect as "trifola" and rated by all the experts as the very best, is found in a restricted hilly area of the "Langhe" and in part of the Monferrato district.
In ancient times, it was thought that the truffles derived from bolts of lightning that fell close to the trees. In actual fact, they grow spontaneously only under certain trees, in particular oaks, willows, limes, poplars and cherry trees.
Gathering truffles is an art based on an indivisible "duo": man's experience in identifying the most suitable trees and the infallible scent of his dog who, having identified the precise point, digs furiously to reveal the precious fragrant prize.
For centuries, the "tools of the trade" of the "trifolao" as truffle gatherers are known in Piedmont, have been a pair of tough, mud-proof boots, a stick,also useful for grubbing in brambles and shrubs, a small spade to dig around the truffle without damaging it, a jacket with lots of deep pockets to hold the truffles gathered and the pieces of bread usually bestowed on his faithful companion each time it finds a truffle.

Truffle gatherers usually set off as twilight falls, mainly to avoid revealing the most suitable places to "competitors". The world of the truffle has much in common with the hard life of the country, today completely changed for the better, and for which the possibility of finding truffles to be sold at the market in Alba and which ended up mainly on the tables of the nobility and kings represented a rare occasion to earn money and secure subsistence.
The Capital of the "Langhe" can claim the merit of having been the first to recognise the value of this extraordinary subterranean fungus more than a century ago.
A path that has kept step with the international success of the great wines of Alba: Barolo and Barbaresco.
The highly prized white truffle, scientific name Tuber Magnatum Pico is considered to be the truffle par excellence because of its noteworthy commercial importance. It is also known as the Truffle of Alba or of Piedmont because it is particularly abundant in this region but it is also found, to a much lesser extent, in some areas of Central Italy and in the South of France. It takes it name from Alba but is present all over Piedmont in the Monferrato, Langhe and Roero districts and partly on the hill of Turin.
As we have already said, the truffle lives underground and the only way the truffle gatherer can bring it to light is to form an alliance with a dog with an extremely sensitive nose and specially trained to recognise the intense aroma of the truffle.
The person who searches for the precious tuber, "armed" with his dog, experience and good fortune, is known as a "tartufaio". To comply with the law, the tartufaio must have an identify document that permits him to search for truffles in areas where this is allowed. However, the tartufaio must always respect the surrounding countryside and other people's property. When his faithful companion senses the truffle at the point where it is hidden, he indicates this to the tartufaio who starts to dig with a special small spade until the precious treasure is uncovered. The tartufaio must then replace the clods of soil he has removed. For an expert truffle gatherer, all these operations are routine also because he usually wants to avoid leaving any trace of where he has found his prize.
According to the old truffle hunters of Langa and Monferrato: the white truffle will be ripe only at the third moon after the rains, starting from September: superstition or phases of the moon apart, it seems that the proverb is constantly confirmed. On the other hand, the world of the truffle hunter or trifulao as they are called in Piedmont is fraught with magic and mystery, also due to the fact that the dogs work well only during the night, even better if wrapped in mist that dampens sounds and confuses the outlines of things.