LANGHE

White gold in my garden

The Alta Langhe, home to truffles white and black, and to us for over a decade, in the protective shield of Costabella, and a place where in some seismic shift of tetonic plates of fate, we discovered truffles in our garden.

In the first year of owning Costabella, when we spent our first summer there, holding on to the last golden dusted days of summer before travelling back to the searing heat of Dubai, we would often hear long low whistles very early in the morning. Wondering who was doing this, we opened the shutters, bleary eyed, to see a couple of large hounds loping elegantly across the field next to us, to be called by melodic whistling over the lane running alongside Costabella and into our garden, which was so big as to be unfenced. In the middle of our land was a huge poplar tree, with a forked trunk, leaning slightly towards the valley, away from the winds that gusted down behind it. The hounds, followed by a man in a soft felt cap and a waistcoat, would pay us scant attention as they walked past our windows on their way to the tree. We might get a Buongiorno and a nod if we were lucky.

We were unfamiliar with Italian laws on right to roam, and being very fond of a hike myself, I didnt mind. After all, we lived in a beautiful place in the middle of open countryside, so who were we to spoil anyones morning walk?

I had heard of truffles, of course, but never seen one, tasted one or smelt one. I knew they were French or Italian but that was really all I knew. I had absolutely no idea that these hounds were truffle dogs and these men were truffle hunters.

One day, my children, as I might have mentioned, fearless and feral, ran out pyjama clad and barefoot, after the men ‘che cosa?!! questa terra e privata!!!’

What’s happening? This land is private! The man they were accosting stopped, bemused, in his tracks, unsure what to say to these tiny girls with wild hair and a sense of indignation much bigger than them. He bent down to them and opened his hand…. nestled in his palm was a small white truffle.

Smell, he invited. They did and our life took another turn.

My small blonde boy snatched the truffle from the hunters hand and ran full pelt back up to the house and straight into the kitchen. That man just dug this up! What is it?

I think its a truffle, I said, as the slow dawning realisation that THIS was what all the fuss was about. In my faltering Italian - tartufi? . Si. It’s yours, from your land. keep it.

I asked him if he came every day. No, it’s very early in the season, we are not supposed to hunt until the end of October, but you never know, you might get lucky. Truffles are mysterious beings. Did I mind him coming?

No, not at all. I dont know anything about them, so its good that they are bringing joy to someone.

Could he come in? He could show me how to store it and prepare it. Why not. come in. He did, and our life took another turn.

Fried Eggs and White Truffle - the best way to eat truffles

We were so lucky in Costabella in so many ways. Not only did we live a life we really, truely loved, as much as we loved each other, we also had some of the worlds best produce on our doorstep. Truffles may be the ultimate luxury to find in your garden, but fresh eggs from your own chickens or from the local market are just as luxurious. In my humble opinion, the pairing of a fresh egg fried in butter on the top of a wood burning stove and scattered liberally with paper thin slices of truffle is one of the very best things to eat in the world.

Method

Send a child to the dilapidated barn where the chickens nest in old wheelbarrows and empty drawers in chests. They will love putting their hands under the warm body of their favourite hen and pulling a still warm egg from a scratchy nest of hay.

When they bring it up to the kitchen, take the truffle that your now friend truffle hunter gave you yesterday from the fridge, where it sits wrapped in a paper towel inside a sealed glass jar. If you dont keep it like that, your whole house will smell of sexy earthiness, a primordial scent that will permeate every single room. Thats not a bad thing by any means, but you might want to keep the smell as an instant hit.