Appearance

The Summer Truffle tends to have a round shape and a brown brownish dark color in the outside, while its inside is homogeneously dark yellow/brown matter, lighter then the Winter Truffle. The peridium (rind) is rough and warty, for that reason it is called also Scorzone (“rough peel”).

Unlike other truffles, the black summer truffle has a high average size and it is possible finding specimens of a pound of weight.

Where it Grows

The Summer Truffle grows in clay soils, in the presence of deciduous forests but often also in the pine forests.

Cooking

• The Summer Truffle has an aromatic, a bit nutty aroma, and a definite taste.
• Compared to other truffles, its lower cost make it an ideal ingredient for every day cooking, where will bring perfume and panache. It is also a quite resistant truffle and tend to keep well.
• The fresh Scorzone is enhanced by cooking and preparations with oil, butter and cheese. Therefore it can be used to prepare dishes such as sauces, croutons baked with cheese, noodles or butter pasta and risotto.
• It can also be used raw, as on the classic scrambled eggs, but in these cases many prefer to remove the rind and use it on cooked preparations on which sprinkle a generous helping of truffle.

L'articolo Fresh black Summer Truffle proviene da Fortunati Antonio Tartufi e Funghi.

L'articolo Bianchetto Truffle proviene da Fortunati Antonio Tartufi e Funghi.

Its intense, aromatic and fruity odour and balanced flavour make it a favourite amongst many connoisseurs and have earned it its nickname: “sweet black truffle”.

It should be noted that it is quite different from the Ordinary Black Truffle (Bagnoli truffle), characterised by a strong carbolic smell, bitter taste and low commercial value.

Instead, the valuable characteristics of the Black Winter Truffle render it a precious fruit of the earth, which make it a fine gift idea for gourmets.

Appearance

The Black Périgord Truffle has a rounded appearance and is quite homogeneous. The peridium or rind has protrusions and warts that make it very rough to the touch and it has a brownish or blackish colour. Specimens that are not perfectly ripe may be also reddish. The gleba, or inner part of the truffle, is black-violet with whitish veins.

The size may vary significantly and can range from that of a hazelnut (the most common) to that of a large apple (the rarest), reaching even one kilogram in weight in the biggest specimens.

Where it grows

This truffle is also known as Black Truffle from Norcia or Black Truffle from Spoleto because it mainly grows in these areas as well as in Umbria in general.


The Black Truffle from Norcia grows in hilly and mountainous areas, in forests composed of hazelnuts, oaks, holm oaks, hornbeams and olive trees, where the soil is well lit, drained, calcareous and sometimes rubbly.

The black Winter truffle grows in areas where vegetation is scarce and the grass is sparse under the trees due to dense tangles of filaments that intersect each other.

Cooking

It is not a coincidence that the Black Périgord Truffle is referred to as “the King of the table”: delicious and fragrant, can be used in a wide variety of dishes and preparations in which it can be used both raw and cooked because its aroma is not lost but strengthened when cooked.

Umbria has dedicated a wide variety of delicious dishes to “its” truffle, like the famous “strangozzi alla spoletina” or the simple but delicious filet with truffle.

Many other regional cuisines have numerous dishes dedicated to the Black winter Truffle: from the bruschetta, to pasta dishes as well as meat or fish main courses, the only limit is your imagination! The black winter truffle is also popular in stuffed ravioli, Guinea fowl dishes or for embellishing pâté.

L'articolo Fresh Black Winter Truffle proviene da Fortunati Antonio Tartufi e Funghi.

Appearance and size

The White Truffles available for sale can weigh between 8 and 20 grams. They present a rounded appearance and many bumps and depressions on the rind, making them velvety to the touch. The colour of the truffle you will receive may vary from pale ochre to dark ivory with greenish nuances. The inside (gleba) is yellowish with thin white veins: colours typical of the best white truffles.

Origin of the fresh white truffles for sale

Our Fresh White Truffle is not cultivated in a truffle farm. An excellent product collected in the  best producing regions. They are white truffles collected in oak, linden, poplar and willow forests, known for their soft and moist soil, rich in nutrients like calcium and mineral salts.

Cooking fresh white truffles: our tips

• Considered a connoisseur’s delicacy, the fresh white truffle gives fragrance, aroma and prestige to a wide variety of dishes. The scent of the White Truffle is unmistakable and intense, slightly cheesy, with traces of the smell of the earth and the barks of shrubs with which it lives in symbiosis. The taste is strong and slightly spicy and can emulate that of aged cheese. The aroma is so intense, that you don’t need large amounts of White Truffles to embellish a dish, just 10-15 grams per person.
• Its strong personality makes it perfect to give flavour and character to delicately flavoured dishes such as tagliatelle with butter and white truffles or fresh meat carpaccio. It is also popular with eggs and butter or cheese dishes, like fondue.
• You should consume Fresh White Truffles raw, cut in thin slices with a special truffle slicer or on a steaming plate, since the moderate heat does not modify the aroma. The slices should not be mixed with the other ingredients but placed on top of the dish, in order to enhance their aesthetic appearance and value.

L'articolo Fresh White Truffle proviene da Fortunati Antonio Tartufi e Funghi.

L'articolo Truffle slicer proviene da Fortunati Antonio Tartufi e Funghi.

Appearance

Similarly to its summer namesake, the Black Burgundy Truffle presents a warty outer rind (hence the nickname “Scorzone”) but its colour is much darker: grey or black. The colour of the gleba (the truffle pulp) ranges from shades of hazel to brown, with clear veins, which are highly branched. There are not so many differences between the Summer and Winter Scorzone, but the latter has a stronger perfume, maybe because of the moist soil where it is found, which preserves the odours of the forest and the vegetation that surround it. The size of the Black Burgundy Truffle varies from that of a hazelnut to that of an orange and beyond and can reach 800gr of weight.

Cooking

• As in the case of the Summer Truffle, the Black Burgundy Truffle costs less than other truffle varieties and can be used in everyday cooking without too many economic concerns. For this reason, it is highly sought after both in Italy and abroad.
• It has an intense and pleasing fragrance and flavour, with hints of hazelnuts, porcini mushrooms and Parmesan cheese.
• It can be used both raw and cooked in a wide variety of dishes. It is often used to prepare sauces and creams and, when raw, its rind can be removed and preserved for cooked dishes.

Where it grows

The Black Burgundy Truffle grows in wooded areas, especially near turkey oaks, downy oaks and black hornbeams, being the latter the symbiont plant of the truffle. The Black Burgundy Truffle does not thrive in dry areas and needs very moist soil, meaning that it is usually found in shady and cool regions, where there is no sunlight.

L'articolo Fresh Black Burgundy Truffle proviene da Fortunati Antonio Tartufi e Funghi.