Also called Sweet Black Truffle, Norcia truffle has different sizes. The price varies according to the seasons, the truffle hunters with their truffle dogs go hunting between mid-November and mid-March
The characteristics of Norcia Black Truffle
The main character of Umbrian dishes is the Norcia truffle, also called black truffle or sweet truffle. The Tuber MelanosporumVittadini, among the black ones, besides being the most appreciated is also the most expensive. “It is a good way to spend money” says who has already tasted it.
The Norcia truffle is a fungus that develops underground, in symbiosis with the roots of the kernel, oak, black hornbeam, holm oak, olive, cerrus and cistus. In Norcia, Perugia province, it mushrooms at an altitude between 400 and 800 meters. It can be the size of a walnut, but also of an apple or a large potato. It is black on the outside, but also the inside is dark with violet reflections, with lighter veining.
The aroma is inebriating, the taste is sweet, with a fruity aftertaste: hence the name of sweet black truffle. It is usually hunted between mid-November and mid-March by truffle hunters, aided by truffle hunting dogs.
The price of the Norcia black truffle varies according to the seasons, but also for other reasons: with a particularly flourishing season, there will be a high supply and therefore prices, as per economic law, fall. On the contrary, when the season is stingy. If the specimens are of poor quality, the price will go down, while if the quality is high, the price will go up. Large sized truffles cost more, for the same weight. In general, we can estimate a price ranging from 400 to 800 euros per kilo.
Norcia Black Truffle: how to recognize the quality
It is not easy to find true Norcia truffles if you are not an expert. You can therefore contact specialized companies or certified sales portals, consulting one of the many truffles stock exchanges to get a more precise idea of the cost.
A good quality truffle must be intact (the damaged ones deteriorate earlier and more easily), compact and slightly elastic to the touch, not too soft and not too hard. It must have a pleasant scent, with hints of hay and chestnut, at full maturity slightly garlicky, but less than white truffle.
When buying a truffle, it is always better to buy the cleanest. The dirt will not only weigh more (and therefore drive the price up), but it could conceal defects and damages. Between two apparently equal truffles, it is always better to choose the heaviest one because it contains more water and therefore is fresher.
