Truffles are a unique subterranean fungus that grows among the roots of specific plants that are favourable to them such as the oak, ilex, poplar, the hazelnut, hop and hornbeam. They only grow where the woods are at their densest taking their nutrition from the roots of their host trees.
Truffles are spontaneous in the way that they grow, i.e. they don’t require any human assistance to originate, grow or mature – the plants photosynthesise chlorophyll and produce the nutrition required for growth.
They normally grow about 20-30 centimetres below ground but can be found as deep as 70 or 80 centimetres.
In Italy, the prized black and white winter truffles are found in Umbria, Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Lazio, Abruzzo and Molise.
All White Truffle Auction truffles are graded by variety, size and quality and if sold outside of the UK and Central Europe, will be certificated with a “Phytosanitary Certificate” – before shipping.