Truffle guide

Truffles seem mysterious, but with a little knowledge they are easy to enjoy. Here you will find the essentials at a glance: which varieties exist, when they are in season, how to recognise quality and how to store and use fresh truffles and truffle products properly.

The main varieties

• White truffle (Tuber magnatum): the most intense and most precious, with notes of garlic, honey and hay. Always used raw.
• Black winter truffle (Tuber melanosporum): deep and earthy, with hints of cocoa. Tolerates gentle heat.
• Summer truffle (Tuber aestivum): mild and nutty, ideal for everyday cooking and for carpaccio.
• Autumn truffle (Tuber uncinatum): richer than the summer truffle, with hazelnut and mushroom notes.
• Bianchetto (Tuber borchii): the small white truffle of spring, spicy and garlicky.

Full details on fresh truffles are on our Fresh truffles page. For a quote, message us on WhatsApp or use our Request a quote page.

Season calendar

Month	Typically in season
January	Black winter truffle, bianchetto (from mid-month)
February	Black winter truffle, bianchetto
March	Black winter truffle (until about mid-month), bianchetto
April	Bianchetto
May	Summer truffle
June	Summer truffle
July	Summer truffle
August	Summer truffle
September	Summer truffle (end of season), first autumn truffles
October	White truffle, autumn truffle
November	White truffle, autumn truffle, black winter truffle (from mid-month)
December	White truffle, autumn truffle, black winter truffle

These are approximate guidelines for Italy. Each region sets the exact dates in its own harvest calendar, and the weather decides every year how good a season will be.

How to recognise quality

• Scent: a good truffle smells intense and clean as soon as you open the packaging. A sharp, ammonia-like smell means it is overripe.
• Firmness: the truffle is firm and feels heavy for its size. Soft spots are a warning sign.
• Inside: the flesh (gleba) shows fine, clear marbling – dark with pale veins in the black winter truffle, light brown in the summer truffle.
• Size: it sets the price, not the aroma. Small truffles and pieces are just as fragrant.

With truffle products, it pays to read the label: it lists the truffle species with its Latin name, its percentage and every ingredient – including whether a flavouring is used. You will find this information on each of our product pages.

How to store

Fresh truffles

Wrap each truffle in kitchen paper and keep it in a tightly closed glass jar in the fridge at 2–4 °C. Change the paper daily. Clean the truffle with a soft brush only just before use. White truffles are best within 3 to 5 days, black ones within about a week. A tip: put a few eggs in the jar with the truffle – overnight they take on its aroma.

Opened jars

Keep unopened jars in a cool, dry, dark place; the expiry date is printed on each jar. Once opened, the jar belongs in the fridge. Always use a clean spoon, keep products in oil covered with oil and use them within the time stated on the label.

How much, how to slice, when to add

• Quantity: for one portion of pasta or risotto, about 5–8 g of fresh white truffle or 8–10 g of black truffle is enough. With truffle creams, one or two teaspoons per portion usually do.
• Slicing: slice or grate fresh truffles as thinly as possible, using a very sharp knife or a fine grater. The thinner the slices, the more aroma they release.
• Timing: always add truffle at the end, once the dish is off the boil. White truffle is never heated; black winter truffle tolerates gentle warmth.
• Partners: fat carries the aroma. Butter, cream, eggs, potatoes, mild cheese and fresh pasta are the best companions.

Fresh truffles or truffle preserves?

Fresh truffles are the experience of the season: an incomparable scent, but they keep for only a few days and are available only in certain months. Truffle products in jars – creams, carpaccio, butter, honey, oil – bring truffle into your kitchen all year round. They keep for a long time, are easy to dose and are perfect for everyday cooking. Their taste is different, often milder than fresh truffle, and that is exactly what makes them so versatile.

A short glossary

• Tartufo: Italian for truffle.
• Pregiato: "precious" – the name for the most valuable varieties, such as the white truffle and the black winter truffle.
• Scorzone: the Italian name for the summer truffle, after its rough, warty skin.
• Bianchetto: the small white spring truffle, also called marzuolo.
• Gleba: the marbled inside of the truffle.
• Peridium: the outer skin of the truffle.
• Tartufaio: a truffle hunter, who finds truffles in the woods with a dog.
• Carpaccio di tartufo: paper-thin truffle slices, usually preserved in oil.