THE EMOTION OF SEARCHING FOR WHITE TRUFFLES
Alessandro Benvenuti-Fano Marche
È il tartufo per eccellenza.
The basic concept is always that of : man, dog and truffle.
These three reach the maximum expression in the search of the esteemed white truffle (Tuber Magnatum Pico).
Yes, we have to be honest in the distinction of various types of searching: black truffle, white truffle and the esteemed white truffle. Searching for the esteemed white truffle is a very different thing: it is expensive because it is much more difficult to find.
Searching for the esteemed white truffle is a very different thing: it is expensive because it is much more difficult to find.
It is truly the undisputed treasure of the earth
Many are the factors that can improve or danger its development.
I personally think it is a fascinating search , poetic , but first all the colours and the typical scents of the period, when searching.
Entering the wood at dawn with the fine morning mist on spider-webs, the drops of dew on the grass, the autumn dress made of red and yellow leaves , this is already a justified and sufficient emotion for the long walks. Then consider the complexity and the action of the dog when it finds the treasure.
The tartufaio knows where to take the dog , but he does not know exactly the precise point. I remember my early years , when Grand-dad Gino used to tell me : “Follow the dog , have faith , it knows where it grows and it knows where to go”.
In time we find places, you see traces , you become expert, you build your own archives ( I also do it: I note in a book, day after day, the date of finding , the place , the tree, the shape and the weight ; if my son Tommaso would like it , it will be part his heredity .
In every season it repeats the same thing: in the evening , before going to bed , I reread the book studying the route of the previous days , hoping to re-find in that wood or that ditch the truffle of the last year.
That is why I say to go in search of the white ( or Rapone as it is commonly called around Acqualagna) and and write and live every day as in a novel.
Ci si alza di buon ora con tante aspettative, con la speranza di ritrovare e scoprire un tartufo bello, ma purtroppo spesso può capitare di dover scrivere per la giornata un racconto totalmente differente, in cui il risultato finale è molto più deludente.
I would be a hypocrite if I said that I do not mind returning with empty pockets ; but in any case I return serene , happy to have passed one of the best days I could have had
Somebody made me notice that using the adjective mystic, to tell and explain the search of the white and the report that is installed with dog, land and the tartufaio, is excessive . Instead while I am thinking and writing this tale I still think it is the proper word.
I am thinking : at dawn , just getting out of the car,l in the deep dark wood, together with my dogs starting an apparently casual walk. Actually I follow a mysterious trace that has lasted for centuries.
The dogs immediately start to dance , which leads them to inspect every part of the undergrowth , to filter the millions of odours that rise up from it, until it arrives – attracted as if a magnetic force – at a precise point , where it puts its nose to the ground with strength , it begins the ritual of clawing and rasping.
This is the moment which brings me back to reality and immediately I am invaded by emotions and agitations. The fascination of finding is really this and it is different and amazing every time .
Ora inizia il momento dell’escavazione.
Now begins the moment of excavating . You get down on your knees as if in prayer , you take a fist full of earth and you bring it to your nose , to smell the odour of the Truffle, then according to the intensity you recall the dog so it can continue “ the hole” .
Slow actions : the truffle needs its time , to break it would be a sin , besides being an economic disadvantage.
Under the atentive eye of the dog , which controls and above all smells every movement of mine , helped by a little hoe and by my finger I begin with patience and caution to uncover the truffle, when at a certain point , from darkness of the earth you see unmistakable yellow. Your heart excels its beat , the curiosity is so vast that immediately , with your index finger you begin to dig all around , to understand the real dimension of the truffle
Once it is freed from the earth and the roots with the help of the little hoe you extract it from the ground , you bring it to your nose and after you have smelt it with lust you shown it to the dog , which is satisfactorily waiting for its merited reward.
I place it accurately in my pocket after I have carefully cleaned it , I refill with care the hole which I made to extract and hide the removed earth with leaves and branches of the undergrowth , in order that no-one can see where I found the truffle! It is our secret.
The round continues , now and again I take out the truffle from my pocket and cuddle and admire it. The finds continue , everyone in a different way but the result is always the same : the discovery of the most perfumed treasure of earth.
Therefore now when you are at the restaurant tasting a dish with truffle , apart from the taste think also about the sensations and emotions that it can produce even before being eaten .
In that way you will forget about the bill !
Alessandro Benvenuti (Fano-Marche)