Truffle

All truffles are fungi with similarities to wild mushrooms, that is living plants which, being devoid of chlorophyll, derive nutrients from other organic matter. They are subterranean, growing just beneath the ground, and mostly exist in symbiosis with trees, helping their hosts to assimilate phosphorus while in return taking sugars from the tree roots. There are more than 30 truffle species, of which the most sought after and expensive is Tuber magnatum, the white truffle. After a dry summer, like that of 1997, the price can reach £2,000 a kilo. They are principally found in Piedmont, where they usually grow near the bases of willows and poplars and are sniffed out by specially trained dogs. Bene, Fido!