WTI Magazine #85    2016 November 21
Author : folclore.it      Translation by:

The Alba White Truffle World Market is the largest international exhibition of truffles coming from the Piedmontese hills of Langhe, Roero and Monferrato. Every day, thousands of batches of truffles, freshly picked, are displayed and sold by the "trifolao" themselves. Before the market opens to the public, in order to guarantee quality and secure purchases, each truffle is checked by the specific "Quality Commission", which is available to customers throughout the Fair's duration with the "Costumer Information Desk" function. At the Alba White Truffle World Market all truffles weighing more than 10 grams are sold in a numbered bag giving a warranty and the right to return and exchange whenever the truffle is not satisfactory.

FOOD AND WINE EXCELLENCES FROM PIEDMONT
Thanks to the AlbaQualità exposition, the Alba White Truffle World Market is the place to meet and experience the Piedmontese gastronomic excellence. Every year, AlbaQualità selects over a hundred exhibitors from all over the region, especially, from the Langhe and Roero. The exhibition stands offer a comprehensive and complete overview of the gastronomic, vine-growing and wine-producing quality of the area, with particular attention to crafts and innovative productions. Among the thousands of products in tasting and for sale you can find wines, spirits, liqueurs, cheeses, meats, fresh and dried pasta, bakery products, traditional sweets, chocolate, vegetables, products containing Nocciole Piemonte IGP (Piedmontese hazelnuts), Castagne di Cuneo IGP (Cuneo chestnuts), special flours, mushrooms as well as - of course - truffles.

TASTING AREA AND WINE SHOP
Inside the Alba White Truffle World Market a specific area is reserved for catering and tasting of the renowned wines from Langhe and Roero. Here you can sample raditional dishes made with fresh ingredients and raw materials displayed and sold in the exhibition booths - truffle included - designed to accompany and enhance the flavours of the White Truffle of Alba. The wine-tasting area, operated by the AIS sommeliers (the Italian Sommelier Association), is located in the Grande Enoteca of the Langhe and Roero, an area designed to offer a sample of the extraordinary wine heritage of the territory. Throughout the autumn period the White Truffle of Alba can be purchased in the city's specialty shops.

ALBA WHITE TRUFFLE
Spherical in shape, often slightly flattened and irregular, the truffle has a pale yellow or ochreish outer layer known as the peridium. The flesh, or gleba, is run through by many white, branching veins, and varies in colour from milk white to dark pink to brownish. Truffles vary in size. They are collected from late summer, throughout autumn and up until early winter. This fungus only grows wild, and no cultivation techniques have been developed so far.

Storage
In the refrigerator (3-6°C) wrapped in a paper towel and stored in a sealed glass container. A fresh truffle can be kept for around a week, but should be consumed as soon as possible.

Cleaning
Truffles should be cleaned with a brush under cold water to remove any soil, then carefully dried and consumed after about ten minutes.

Serving
A special truffle slicer is essential to shaving the truffle into very thin slices. The finer the blade is adjusted (a few tenths of a millimetre) the more intense the fragrance.

Eating
White truffle is a seasoning and should always be eaten raw, never cooked. It is perfect sliced at the table over a fresh egg pasta like tajarin, fried eggs or fonduta (Italian fondue).