Tuber Melanosporum Vitadini - Fine Black Truffle
Globular, at times lobed, with a brown black peridium marked by depressed verrucas at the apex, the Tuber Melanosporum Vitt. has a reddish black or brown gleba, with ramified streaks of thin, lightly coloured veins. It can be the size of a large apple, or even larger. It is found throughout the winter and in particular in the first few months of the year, especially under oaks, hazelnuts and hop hornbeams.
The start and the end of the hunting season are fixed each year by the local regional authorities. It grows all over Italy, but is also to be found and is highly appreciated in France and Spain. Considered the finest variety of black truffle, it can be cultivated in truffle beds.
Cooking the black truffle
Tuber melanosporum is best-known in the culinary traditions of Istria and of the Central regions of Italy. This truffle is a versatile seasoning used in a large variety of ways on dishes ranging from hors-d'oeuvres to main courses, depending on the area: chopped with mushrooms and olive-oil on hot canapés; crushed in a mortar with oil and salt to season splendid portions of pasta; sliced and cooked with sublime roasts.
The Melanosporum is appreciated above-all in France, however, where it is widely used in the cuisine: chopped onto soft-boiled eggs, or thinly-sliced onto canapés or vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, artichokes and celery.
