Let’s talk truffles

The smell of earth is the first thing that hits you. It comes from the truffles that Silvia Landucci has brought all the way from Italy. Her company, Boscovivo, was founded by her parents in 1982.

It offers a range of products made of truffles — including juice, legumes, balsamic vinegar, paté, and salt.

The truffles connoisseur was in Chennai recently as part of ITC Grand Chola’s truffles tour. Landucci has grown up surrounded by truffles and waxes eloquent about them. An excerpt from an email interview:

Tell us about truffles.

There are about 30 species of truffles in Europe. They are white, yellow, rust-coloured, dark brown or blackish. Italy is the only country which grows five kinds of truffles. They are:

White winter truffle: It is the most expensive one with a strong and pleasant aroma. Best used raw.

White spring truffle: When unripe, it tends to be intense. When ripe, it tastes similar to garlic. Best used raw.

Black winter truffle: Aromatic, delicate and pleasant, and while it can be used raw, cooking brings out its best flavours.

Black summer truffle: Weak when used raw. Cooking brings out its best characteristics.

Black autumn truffle: This is similar to the black summer truffle, but is more intense in smell and taste.

Why are truffles so expensive?

The price of truffles is determined by two factors: availability and size. The production of Black and White winter truffles is low when compared to the other varieties, and hence the demand and cost are high.

Also, since small truffles are common, the big pieces hold more value.

Tell us about your association with truffles.

Hunting truffles was a hobby in my mother’s family. When my parents Franca Bianchini and Alfredo Landucci married, they founded Boscovivo in 1982. Passion and love for this ingredient, which has fascinated civilisations for centuries, inspired my parents to develop a line of ready-to-use products.

We offer sauces, purées, oils, carpaccio, truffle honey, and truffle caviar that are the result of innovative methods of preservation without the use of additives.

How do you prefer to eat truffles?

Keeping it simple is the best way. We should keep in mind that truffles must never be paired with acidic ingredients such as tomato, lemon juice, or vinegar. We should cook them with extra virgin olive oil, dairy products and egg yolk.

The most famous dishes are fried eggs with sliced truffles, egg tagliolini with truffles and butter, fondue (melted cheeses) with truffles.

Is there a growing interest in truffles in India?

In India, truffles are quite new. But because more and more Indians are travelling to western countries, it’s becoming familiar in the region and the demand is increasing.