Links to other pages in domparadox.com and other paradox sites

 

Home Page Ciao Adriano 2007 Paradoxplace 2006 Page Log West Burgundy Tuscany Restaurants Chianti Gold PUGLIA Leuca Olives Galatina Otranto Lecce SM di Cerrate Molfetta Bitonto Trani Porto Trani Cattedrale Ruvo Troia Gargano TUSCANY South of Siena The Best Lunch Chianti Florence Evening Foundling Hospital PIEMONTE Moscato in Mango Barbaresco Evening Tartufo Beginning Tre Stelle Lunch Tartufo Market Tartufo Festival ROME Around Rome Rome Gatherings Farnese Palace Turtles Fountain San Crisogono Sant'Ivo Santa Bibiana Rome Restaurants Bellatrovata

 

ALBA TARTUFO MARKET

SATURDAY 22 OCTOBER 2006

 

Alba's Tartufo Bianco are regarded as the finest in Italy.  For six weekends in October and early November tartufo hunters / merchants come and sell their products at Alba's Tartufo Market.  There are lots of other foodie stalls in the enclosed market area as well.  On the Sundays of these weekends the streets and piazzas are also packed with every type of food stall imaginable plus of course a few thousand Italians.  On the first Sunday, to get things going, there is a Donkey Palio.

 

The first thing to do when you go into the enclosed market area is to head for the other end of the building and have brunch - a white truffle shaved over a couple of fried eggs, accompanied by a glass of Brunello.  Double joy - egg itself (not a feature of Italian hotel breakfasts), and egg with tartufo - in paradox's view the best of the main three white tartufo carriers used here - egg, raw meat and pasta - but our man has a secret plan to try the big white T on Calves Brains sautéed in unsalted butter one of these days when he can bring the two ingredients together.

 

 

The Saturday crowd "in the shed" is not your real Italian foodie mob - that's on Sunday when the food stalls spill out all over town as well.  Today there are a fair number of Swiss German speaking visitors.  Serious mature  people from the country that invented the cuckoo clock, and to reassure them the stand you can see in the centre is the "Truffle Quality Commission" who will check your truffle for weight and quality before and / or after purchase. 

 
 

Research fabricated by Paradox's friend N.J.Webber indicates that the average €50 domestic tartufo bianco has 5.6 canine and human nasal experiences before being shaved, unwashed and uncooked, onto your egg or pasta.  "Unusually, the number of nasal experiences is greater for the higher quality outlets (with more demanding customers)" says Webber.

 

Dealer nose with cushioning.

These are the three biggies of today's market - weighing in at 320, 687 and 290 gms respectively (left to right).  Actually White Truffle quality, in common with many other things in life,  deteriorates with size, so truffle big is not truffle best.
PASTA
SAUSAGES
CHOCOLATE
 

Links to pages in domparadox.com and other paradox sites

 

Home Page Ciao Adriano 2007 Paradoxplace 2006 Page Log West Burgundy Tuscany Restaurants Chianti Gold PUGLIA Leuca Olives Galatina Otranto Lecce SM di Cerrate Molfetta Bitonto Trani Porto Trani Cattedrale Ruvo Troia Gargano TUSCANY South of Siena The Best Lunch Chianti Florence Evening Foundling Hospital PIEMONTE Moscato in Mango Barbaresco Evening Tartufo Beginning Tre Stelle Lunch Tartufo Market Tartufo Festival ROME Around Rome Rome Gatherings Farnese Palace Turtles Fountain San Crisogono Sant'Ivo Santa Bibiana Rome Restaurants Bellatrovata

 

All material © Adrian Fletcher 2000-07 - The contents may not be reproduced without permission