White truffles, dark chocolate and mountain cheeses from Italy’s Langhe are on the itinerary for visiting the Alba White Truffle Fair.
October is the month of food fairs in Italy’s Piemonte (Piedmont) region, and I’ll be there to tell you all about it. Turin hosts the Salon de Gusto – the world expo of the Slow Food movement, Perugia has its Eurochocolate, but I’ll be especially focusing my attention on Alba, where the entire month of October is dedicated to the local cash crop, the precious -- and reputedly aphrodisiac -- white truffle.
I’ll be “broadcasting live” from the tents where the scent of fresh-dug truffles fills the air. Elsewhere in the city, entire squares are devoted to other specialty foods – salamis, cheeses, wines, breads, olive oil, pasta and herbs, and I’ll be there to sample them.
So get your “orders” in early and let me know what you’d like to learn more about. Interested in how truffles are found? About how local chefs use them? About the best chocolatier in Alba or the best coffee in nearby Turin? Are you planning a food tour? Send me your travel, food and truffle questions and I’ll track down on-the-spot answers with as much enthusiasm as the trifolau’s dog noses out the secret hiding places of the priceless Tuber Magnatum Pico.
