Daniel Child's Paris Good Food Light
Serialized 57
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Poisoned by the Renaissance, he has recently run to Italy.
Many of france's good things, if traced back to their roots, have to return to Italy – of course, there was no great unification into today's Italy. At the beginning of the Renaissance in the 15th century, the Apennine Peninsula, which was not as large as our Yunnan Province, belonged to more than a dozen republics or kingdoms. The area we visited in early November was the then dichotomous Republic of Florence and the Republic of Siena, now collectively known as the Tuscany region, the undisputed culinary mecca of Italy. We headed for the most expensive delicacies of autumn.
Siena is my favorite italian town, quiet enough to feel every glory of the past. Staying in a small hotel outside the city gate, when you have breakfast, you have such a view in front of you.
In the late autumn, the enchanting sunshine of the Tuscan summer is always hiding, more often blocked by dark clouds and showers. Autumn here is very long, and the forested scenery in the mountains changes from emerald green to golden to slowly until the end of the year, so there are strong colors that are staggered and unpredictable along the way. Unfortunately, when driving, there is almost no time to look forward to the scenery outside the car. No slower than the French, the impatient character of the Italians is vividly displayed on the road. Driven on the mountain road like a local "duck on the shelf", you must pay 100% concentration, and there is only one goal: to rush forward at full speed. Italians are notorious for not following traffic laws, all speed limit signs are ignored, and we only dare to honestly fix on the highway to 150 in the lane, never like the locals on the passing lane to 150.
Shivering through the morning mist, we reached our destination today: San Gimignano, a 40-minute drive from Siena.
On the banks of Elsa Creek, we greet Prim, the only protagonist of the day, "Hello, Prim. Prim was very lively, but we couldn't understand what he was saying. His master Alberto was his spokesman.
Prim is a small dog of Romanian origin whose scientific name is Lagoto Roman Pavilion Noru. His ancestors fed on truffles in the wild (but it was too advanced!). After many generations, this dog has acquired an innate keen sense of truffles. The 6-month-old Prim has just debuted as a full-time truffle hound. Alberto said Prim was still a little green when it came to helping him with this incomparably noble task. But we're more than happy to give this very lively little guy a chance to improve his skills.
"It's rained in the last few days, so we should have a harvest today." Alberto was confident. Prim, released from the cage, sped into the oak forest.
Rain is a necessary condition for truffle growth. Truffles are 75% water. Only when there is plenty of moisture can truffles grow large enough and sell for a good price. Unfortunately, this year has been dry, and it was not until this season of truffle harvest that it barely rained a little. Alberto said this year's truffles were small, and he pulled out his phone to show off to me his lucrative "prey" of last year— 350 grams of white truffles, which sold for 800 euros.
The most noble truffle industry in the whole world is the white truffle from the Alba region of Italy, which can be sold for 4,000 euros for 1 kilogram in the high-end food market in Paris. Our "prey" today is the most common autumn truffle in Tuscany (scientific name Tuber Uncinatum) and the status of white truffles is very different, in France the same breed is called Burgundy truffle, harvested from September until the end of December. (France's Perigo black truffle is the king of the black truffle world, truffle history)
This dark thing hidden under the ground does not look very appetizing, if it does not have a unique aroma that is difficult to describe in words, it will not become a "diamond" on the Western table, playing a magical effect on a variety of dishes.
Holding back the saliva, we were about to start a speed race with Prim. He had slipped a cigarette and ran into the oak woods. Oh, forgot to say that the soil and the types of trees are just as necessary for truffle growth. Mostly oak trees, but also chestnut trees or hazelnut trees. Peel open the damp fallen leaves and the soil that is ten centimeters thick, and the truffles are hidden in the soil. Because it does not grow on the ground, the human eye cannot see it at all, and the human sense of smell is not sensitive enough to accurately locate the prey as far away as a dog, so it is necessary to invite this good friend of the human to help.
Prim first ran aimlessly through the woods, as if to warm himself up, or as if to do a full scan first, so that he could be targeted next. Alberto kept his distance from him, and all we had to do was keep up with Alberto.com. Alberto shouted something I didn't understand, as if he was sending some signal to Prim. But reason tells me that when it comes to finding truffles, people can only be a cheerleaders for dogs at best.
Alberto has good eyesight and excellent reflexes. He noticed that Prim had suddenly stopped running, swirled under an oak tree, and suddenly ran there at the speed of a hundred-meter sprint. We had no idea what was going to happen, and the only thing we could do was to speed up as well, and Alberto had already reached the "finish line" first, and he put his hand into Prim's mouth and snatched out something hard. "Look! Truffles! ”
Just as we were following Alberto in a panic, Prim had gradually locked on to his prey under the tree, and he cut through the leaves, then dug three inches into the ground, and took the truffle into his mouth with lightning speed. At the moment when he was about to swallow his stomach, the master arrived just in time and staged a thrilling scene of "mantis catching cicadas, yellow finches in the back".
We rejoiced at the first harvest of the day, and Prim, though snatched of truffles, was not at all discouraged, and he continued his hunting operation with great joy.
Such a primitive and rustic truffle harvesting process is unimaginable, and in a few hours, these truffles will be transformed into the most expensive ingredients on the table, and in the luxurious restaurant with the Venetian crystal chandelier, the diners who like him will become more and more addicted.
A plate of rich cream pasta floats lightly onto a few slices of seasonal autumn truffles. For this taste, I would rather miss the Tuscan sun in the summer and go to its happy late autumn date.
All texts are original to Fafan
Some of the pictures come from the Internet
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Click to read the original article: black truffles, white truffles, summer truffles, winter truffles are what exactly?