TARTUFI & FRIENDS, the new truffle lounge of Milan

The truffle, the precious underground fungus 'spontaneous' that our area boasts among its excellence. A product of the land by the heady fragrance and a long history. As Aristotle wrote, a fruit sacred to Aphrodite, decanted from ancient times.

Amandone the aromas and delicate flavors, Wednesday 17 September, I accepted with pleasure the invitation to the opening of TARTUFI & FRIENDS, the new truffle lounge in Milan located in the prestigious Palazzo Serbelloni, after a year and a half, followed the opening of the Rome office.

Among a sample and the other, by Chef Marco Fossati, in a refined setting of 250 square meters designed by architect Laura Franco, I immersed myself in the retro atmosphere entirely dedicated to the precious tuber. But not only, I also liked the call of nature with the vertical garden, and the vision of the prints of the 1500 in the room 'explorer' that describe the history of time.

Framers of everything and Alberto Angelo Sermoneta, already working on the next opening in the 2015 an office in London and Dubai, to bring this Italian excellence to be known in the world.

A taste but also knowledge, as it should be for someone like me who loves to go beyond the tasting of a product.

To assess the quality of a truffle must be based on 'view, smell and touch '. They must be clean so that the gravel does not cover the defects. At the touch must be compact but with a slight note of elasticity, while the nose the smell is perceptible only in the time of ripening. Its aromas are reminiscent of the garlic, mushroom and damp earth.

There are many species, but the white truffle of Alba white, Tuber Magnum Pico, is the most valuable and larger. Piedmont is the region in which it is no longer present, but can also be found in Lombardy, Pavese hills dell'Oltrepò, in Mantua, e sia pur rarissimamente nell’Italia centrale. Senza togliere l’indiscussa corona al tartufo bianco cito ad esempio i tartufi neri pregiati reperibili fino a Marzo, or between April and May whitebait, or July the scorzoni.

The truffle hunter, in Piedmont is called with the dialect term trifolau o trifulé,  Search the precious fungus from September to January. Italian legislation provides that the collection is free, whether it takes place in the woods than in the uncultivated land.

The white truffle is cleaned well but do not peel. Unlike the black should not be cooked. It is used as a condiment, cutting it into thin slices of lightly seasoned dishes. It contains about 80% water. It is rich in potassium, soccer, sodium, magnesium, iron, zinc and copper. Anyway, its value does not impact significantly on the contribution food.

We recommend keeping it wrapped in a paper towel and in a cool environment with a temperature of 3 to 6 degrees. To ensure the product is sold in a numbered bag due to the origin of origin.

TARTUFI & FRIENDS

Corso Venezia, 18 – Milan
www.tartufiandfriends.it