Truffles

Prodotto Agroalimentare Tipico (PAT) – Traditional regional food product

Truffles are mainly located in the wooded areas of the Oltrepò Pavese, thanks to the favourable and diverse habitat which allows for the growth of all 44 of the existing varieties. Truffles have represented an element of prestige since the last century, when the botanist Carlo Vittadini, lecturer at the University of Pavia, founded in 1831 idnology, the science that studies truffles, also known as the “diamonds” of cuisine. The most widespread variety is the black truffle. Below 600 m of altitude, it is possible to find the white variety, the rarest and finest type. The colour, flavour and aroma of the truffle are determined by the type of tree it grows beside, while its shape is determined by the type of earth: if soft, the truffle is smoother; if compact, the lumpier and more knotted it becomes, due to the limit of space.