Fab fungus

[Photo provided to China Daily]

Matteo Baronetto, head chef at the Michelin-starred Del Cambio restaurant in nearby Turin, concurs.

"The thing that is very specific to the Alba truffle is the incomparable lightness of its aroma, and its elegance," he says as he assembles a salad of seasonal vegetables speckled by ultra-fine shavings of the local delicacy.

"It is such a pure product of nature that we chefs have to be at the service of the truffle, and not the other way round."

Harvested from Sept 21 until the end of January, truffles need both rain and cold to thrive, according to Sacchetto.

"The colder it is, the better the truffle," he says, adding that no two are exactly alike.

"The truffle is like wine, each zone has its own smell and those from Alba are the most perfumed."