Our Triumphant Truffles

The Triumphant Truffle

LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE FLAVOURFUL FUNGI AT FORTNUM’S

Did you know that there are over 200 species of truffle? And while they’re all celebrated in cuisines across the globe, the two most common are the black truffle and white truffle. But what is it that makes the truffle so special? To the Romans, it was highly prized for its supposed aphrodisiac, therapeutic, and medicinal properties. But nowadays, it is sought after more for its rarity and uniquely rich flavour.

And as purveyors of exciting and extraordinary flavours for three centuries and counting, truffles are very much on the menu at Fortnum’s. But not only can you find this flavourful fungus in a whole host of our products in store and dishes in our restaurants, but we’re incredibly excited to introduce our new truffles supplier - La Cerqua.  

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s delve deeper into the remarkable story of this very remarkable mushroom.

Truffles have been enjoyed for millennia for myriad of reasons, with some of the earliest mentions coming from Greek philosopher (and apparent truffle enthusiast) Theophrastus in the 4th Century BCE. Their origins were considered so mysterious that all sorts of suggested stories began to crop up, from the reasonable such as Plutarch’s belief that they were the result of lightning, warmth, and water in the soil, to the Roman poet Juvenal’s more… creative proposition that an enraged Jupiter, king of the gods, hurled a lightning bolt to earth, which struck an oak tree and the truffle appeared amongst the cinders.

For years to come, the truffle acquired many epithets. During the Renaissance, it was a staple of every extravagant banquet and many hailed it as the “garlic of the riches”, and its delicious qualities were praised by artists such as Rossini, Verd and Shakespeare. However, French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin’s acclamation that it was the “diamond of the kitchen” has become most well-known, proving that a truffle by any other name can taste as sweet. 

Although truffles can be harvested at any time of the year, they are considered to be at their peak of perfection from September to January for white truffles, while for black truffles it's from November to April. 

The white truffle, native to northern Italy, is the more aromatic of the two and has a robust flavour, and it is commonly used as a garnish or shaved over dishes such as pasta. The black truffle, meanwhile, hails from France, and is known more for its earthy, rich aroma, which is used in sauces, butter, and risottos.

Taking their name from the Italian for ‘the oak tree’, the trees that foster the growth of truffles, La Cerqua (pronounced chair-ku-ah) is a small Italian enterprise that is committed to the hunting and sourcing of only the finest truffles. Nestled in Umbria in the scenic Italian countryside, La Cerqua’s founder is Daniele Angeli, who has been hunting truffles since the age of nine years old and still hunts them out himself, with the help of his trusty truffle dogs!

In pursuit of the perfect truffles, Daniele has planted 900 trees in the region for the ongoing preservation and strengthening of the local truffle harvest. La Cerqua supports local truffle industries and has an overriding goal to offer only the best. For all these reasons, we can't get enough of their top truffles!