Il Tartufo Bianco

After the Berlin and Prague group excursion I had no weekend plans, so my friend Ben approached me and wanted to know if I could help him film his documentary in Italy. My instant reaction went something like this "Italy! Hell yea!" I'm so glad I did. Not only was Ben kind enough to pay for my flight since it was a bit last minute, we also got our lodging for free. Oh yea, I didn't mention that we just so happened to be staying on an Italian vineyard in Piedmont region of Italy. Not only did we get lodging for free, but the vineyard paid for most of our meals or at least gave us a nice discount. I was very content!

So here we are in this free bed and breakfast-esque vineyard making movie magic. Ben's project involves following the Il Tartufo Bianco or the white truffle from its search in the forest to the first bite. So Ben and follow a truffle hunter and manage to discover four white truffles. Prior to arriving in Italy Ben tells me to "Go crazy filming and just do what I do..." Me = Very Happy now.

It was pretty freakin epic following this dog around in the forest trying to film her in search of truffles. (They use to use pigs to find truffles, but they like to eat them. So now truffle hunters train dogs. Yea...there's a fun fact for you. You should feel smarter now.) So Ben and I are stoked on getting some pretty sweet footage, and go back to get some dinner and wine....for free! Awwwwww yeeeeaaaaaa!

The next major scene was to film a truffle dish being prepared. So the next day (after getting to sleep in for the first time since I left) we went to a restaurant, although not the one we initially planned for. Regardless, it was amazing! They took us into the kitchen and I begin bouncing off the walls trying to get sweet shots. The chef ends up making four traditional truffle dishes. One is buttered noodles, the second a cheese dish, the third some raw meat (basically it put Kobe beef to shame), and lastly a simple fried egg. They bring the dishes out and we get all the shots we need. Then Ben and I look at each other and turn to the chef to which he says, "Sit! Eat!" We are in shock. We ask how much and they refuse our money and instead bring us wine. We can't believe it. White truffles are pretty pricey, the truffle they were about to use on this dish was at least 40 to 50 euro! They want us to eat this for FREE!

They then shave the white truffle on the dishes... Now I need to take a moment to explain this to you, so you all can truly appreciate the beauty of the white truffle. They take out this elegant silver shaver that is wider then a normal shaver with an octagonal shape. They began to shave this delicious fungus onto the food.

The flakes lightly fall on to the dishes releasing their aroma into the air which gently caresses your nostrils longingly begging you to explore their deliciousness. It almost looks like snow as the shavings so delicately land on the field of noodles, finding a nook or cranny to cradle them. Once the waiter is done shaving the beautiful fungus you can't help, but salivate. The aroma is so pungent and distinct, that you can already taste it. At last we sample the dishes. I slowly take a bite of the buttered noodles now covered in the deliciousness that is still truly unknown to me. I take that bite, and in an instant my senses are just filled with beauty. We eat all the dishes and drink our red wine which so subtly compliments the flavors enhancing the overall experience that your tastes buds are going through. In truth I must say that the best dish was indeed the simplest. The fired egg truly let you taste the majestic flavors of the truffle. By the time we finished all the dishes and wine I thought my tongue needed a cigarette from the mind blowing tastegasm it just had. (I don't actually smoke...)

Afterwards Ben and I relaxed some more, hiked in some hills, and just enjoyed Italy. The final day we went to the 79th Annual Truffle Fair and got some footage then headed back to Bonn. Ben managed to pick up a truffle to use for his pitch the next day!