The truffle market - Italy

The truffle is the fruiting body of a particular category of mushrooms known as hypogeous fungi, belonging to the genus Tuber and the family Tuberaceae. These mushrooms live underground, growing at a depth ranging from a few centimeters to, in very rare cases, one meter. The peculiarity of these fungi is precisely that they generate fleshy bodies, truffles precisely, through which they spread their spores and reproduce. Once ripe, truffles in fact produce an intense and penetrating aroma that overcomes the soil barrier and attracts wild animals that feed on them, spreading their brown, ellipsoidal, spiny or reticulated spores and facilitating their reproduction. The science that studies truffles is called hydnology. There are 4 main categories of truffles on the market:

Tuber Magnatum Pico(or Alba white truffle): Tuber magnatum Pico is definitely the most expensive truffle on the market, and is found only in Italy and some regions of Croatia. Tuber Melanosporum Vittadini (or Fine Black Truffle): This truffle is the best known truffle in the world, as it is also the most found in countries other than Italy, such as France, Spain, Bulgaria and Croatia. Tuber Uncinatum Chatin (or Uncinato Truffle): Autumn black truffle with delicate aroma and hazelnut-like flavor. Tuber Aestivum Vittadini (or Summer Truffle, Scorzone): Scorzone is the most widely harvested truffle found in Italy.