The truffle and its uses

The truffle is a type of rare and valuable tuber which belongs to the family of Tuberaceae. It grows usually in the soil near the roots of certain trees or shrubs, oaks and holm oaks in particular, who form a relationship of symbiosis.
Its typical intense and persistent scent aims to bring wild animals to allow a better dissemination of spores, and then the continuation of the species.

In literature it begins to talk about the truffle in the volume Naturalis Historia of Plinio Il Vecchio, while in the first century AD, the philosopher Plutarco of Cheronea spread the bizarre idea that the truffle was born through the combination of heat, water and lightning. And it is from the lightning that spread the legend of the aphrodisiac power of the tuber: Zeus was the god of lightning, a famous seducer.

Italy is a land of truffles, which you can find all year, except in the month of April. The most appreciated type of truffle is the white one and areas traditionally devoted to its gathering are Alba, Asti, San Miniato in Tuscany, Acqualanga and Isernia, while the black truffle is much more common and can be found easily all the Umbria area.
The search for truffles can be carried out using pigs or dogs. The problem of search with the pigs is the fact that pigs are mouth-watering truffles, and then it must be trained not to eat the precious tuber whose the cost can reach stratospheric prices.

To remedy to the problem of its rarity and match to growing market demand, France and Italy have launched the truffle cultivation, with no good results concerning the rarest species of truffles.
Its high cost and its rarity make sure that the truffle is rarely sold whole or fresh, because it really just a small amount in an original way to spice up any dish. Truffles are so commercialized in the form of sauces and carpaccio. Much appreciated is the truffle olive oil made with extra virgin olive oil and truffle.