Prestigious black truffle of Norcia

It has a more or less rounded shape which is often irregular and of different size. The surface is rough, warty and black, sometimes it has reddish shades, in the unripe truffles it tents at “wine” red. The internal part is black or dark brown, with red shades and thin whitish veins.
The quarry of this kind of truffle is originally carried out in the hilly areas, between the 400 and 1000 metres on the sea level. However, it is important to remind that in Norcia it grows spontaneously, for this reason in this territory we find the PRESTIGIOUS truffle.
Its quarry depends on regional calendars and develops from November to March. Basically, it’s only thanks to our trained dogs that we can reach this treasure; Riccio (a Lagotto from Romagna) and VANS (a Hungarian Hound).

“THE FOOD OF THE GODS”
The truffle is known since the time of the ancient Greeks and Romans. The greek philosopher Plutarco from Cheronea (I A.D) believed that this tuber was born by water, heat and thunders. The Roman poet Giovenale created the legend which saw the Tuber Terrae as the product of a thunder thrown by Jupiter close to a oak tree, a sacred bush.
The same legend describes the truffle as a aphrodisiac and nutritious product, for this reason the ancient called it the “food of the gods”.
By the way, the legend is not that far from the scientific reality since thunders are attracted by shrubs rich of water as the oak tree, which is the tree close which the truffle grows.

“AT THE TABLE”
The prestigious black truffle is used in several dishes, cooked or raw, since during the firing it strengthens its intense flavor. One of the best known is “penne alla norcina”: pasta with bacon, ricotta and grated black truffle; if you want to bring out all its flavor you can have it with spaghetti, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and one anchovy.
As regards the second plates, we have a great many options: the flank steak with truffle, the simple “bruschetta” with grated truffle, the omelet...We can say that the only limit in the kitchen is the fantasy!

Period of quarry: from 1st December to 15th March.