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BLACK OR WHITE, IT'S ALWAYS "HIS MAJESTY" THE ITALIAN TRUFFLE
It's one of the tiniest treasures hidden in the soil of many Italian regions: truffles generate an estimated annual turnover of 400 million euros between production and linked industry. There are tens of thousands of professionals involved in researching and harvesting the product, who in turn supply stores and restaurants around the world. A truffle is an underground mushroom, largely made up of water and mineral salts absorbed through the soil via the roots of the tree with which it lives in symbiosis. It is a gastronomic specialty sold fresh, conserved or processed. It is harvested in almost all Italian regions, but the most renowned production areas are in Piedmont, Marche, Tuscany, Umbria, Abruzzo, Molise as well as Lazio and Calabria. Coldiretti - Italy's main agricultural organisation, with a membership of over 568,000 businesses (52% of Italy's total agribusinesses) estimates an annual production of 84,000 kilograms.
The highest quality truffle in Italy is undoubtedly the white piedmontese: traditionally associated with the area around Alba (in the Cuneo province), it is actually found in the piedmontese hills south of the Po river. Since the mid-nineties there has been an intense research activity truffle around truffles and their environment, resulting in the creation of a truffle trade association aiming to support and promote the National Centre for Truffle Studies, based in Alba (www.tuber.it is the Alba white truffle portal). "The strength of the white truffle brand - explains Mauro Carbone, director of the National Centre for Truffle Studies - is the product itself, known worldwide for its exclusivity. It is a precious fungus with unparalleled organic qualities produced in extremely scarce quantities. Although there are no official figures, annual production is estimated at approximately a few tons.". Despite the extremely limited amounts, the product continues to stand out everywhere: "High level catering establishments worldwide - Carbone continues - display Alba's white truffles on their menus, when in season. In fact, we can say that our product's presence on the menu certifies the caterer's standard of excellence.
Alba's white truffle cluster, Carbone explains, "is the only great truffle cluster in the world, the only one able to foster a series of unparalleled professions - not only in terms of harvesting, but also in terms of product selection (which is not merely a commercial sales operation but also the ability to select only products reaching the highest standards), as well as of product conservation and finally, in terms of catering, during which the product's characteristics are exalted. The "mission" of the piedmontese truffle - Carbone concludes - is to represent an unparalleled attraction which complements existing gastronomic tourism strategies, because it communicates the 360 degree quality guarantee of our territory. To this end, specific co-marketing operations are devised to promote truffles together with great piedmontese wines, in particular barolo and barbaresco ".
Together with Alba's white truffles, the top quality Italian offer includes Norcia's black truffle, from Umbria. "Its distinguishing feature is the unique fragrance ", explains Pietro Luigi Altavilla, Alderman for Tourism in Norcia. "Our truffle has a delicate taste, setting itself apart from other truffles from the same area which have a strong, almost unpleasant smell ". The local administration has been promoting the authentic Norcia truffle variety for years: the main initiative is the "Nero Norcia" fair (www.neronorcia.it), the national black truffle trade exhibition which will reach its 44th edition in 2007. Every year the event attracts on average 60 to 70 thousand visitors. "We are investing a lot to improve the event: last year we took a strategic decision to extend it from one to two weekends", says Mr Altavilla. Even for the black Norcia truffle there are no official figures on annual production: "Unofficial estimates indicate an approximate value of 1.5 tons per year", the alderman states. At an average price of 1,000 euros per kilo, such volumes would translate to a turnover of about 1.5 million euros.
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