The underground gold of Piedmont
Truffles in Italy are a matter of region: white in Piedmont (Alba), black in Umbria (Norcia). Dogs — and in the past also pigs — search for the truffle mycelium in the forest soil.
Truffles are shaved raw over pasta, risotto or egg yolk — the aroma is fleeting. An autumn market draws crowds every year with auctions for white truffles, at hundreds of euros per hundred grams, for the brief fragrant joy of winter.