Nobody knows the truffles I’ve seen

Truffles are something that I’ve only recently discovered – mainly because they’re very expensive. But, they grow in this area, so they are used in some local dishes and we see them quite a bit at different fairs. A small jar of chopped black truffles (90 grams) costs 13 euro. (It seems like a lot, but go check your spice cabinet, see how much is in one of those jars and figure out how much you would end up paying for 90 grams of that particular spice.) Fortunately, it only takes a little bit to get that full truffle aroma. Added after the dish is already cooked, they are fantastic when grated over warm pasta. Just put a little olive oil on the pasta, put it in a dish, and grate some truffle over top.

Truffles are found underground at the roots of trees – mainly oak. Locally we have mostly black truffles although there are some areas nearby where white truffles can be found.

We were going to wait until tonight to go to the truffle sagra over in Torrebruna but, considering that we have our own sagra scheduled here in Palmoli, we decided to head over there last night.

The place was packed. We estimated around 1500 people were there. Considering that it’s a 4 day event, that’s a lot of truffles! It started at 7, we got there around 8 and, by the time we were done eating and ready to leave, there were more people still arriving. This is one successful sagra. It’s very well organized too. You pay at the cash register and they give you a ticket listing what you ordered. You can choose the whole meal or break it down into parts. Then a server comes by, takes the ticket and quickly and efficiently brings you your food and drinks. The plates, cups, and utensils were all plastic – it was a sagra after all – but the food was delicious.

Here’s the truffle ravioli

and the roasted cheese with truffle.

This kicks off the season for us. O is on vacation starting tomorrow so we’ll be out and about, going to fairs and sagras, visiting some local sights. So, my entries may be a bit sporadic for the next few weeks. But, I’ll be taking pictures to share with you once things get back to normal and posting now and again.

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