The International Alba White Truffle Festival: How it works
By: Karla Palma
Tags: Travel, Italy, Alba, Festivals, Truffle

by Karla Palma, November 2021

We’d heard of the annual “Fiera del Tartufo” festival in Alba, Italy for a few years and this year we decided to attend. In it’s 91st year, it takes place over the course of two months (early October through December) when the white truffles are in harvest. The festival is set up in the historic town center of Alba, surrounded by small local shops, churches and restaurants.

Alba resides in the county of Piedmont. Designated a UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) world heritage site in 2017, the area boasts an incredible array of wine producers and local food offerings. Alba has specifically been designated a Creative City of Gastronomy. The region is credited with the creation of the Slow Food movement, led by Carlo Petrini in the 1980’s, with the initial aim to defend regional traditions, good food, gastronomic pleasure and a slower pace of life

The purpose of the festival is to showcase the white truffles that grow in the region, specific to the Langhe, Monferrato and Roero areas. These truffles are notorious for growing under very specific conditions which adds to their rarity and has earned them the nickname of the “diamonds” of the culinary world.

White Alba Truffles are prized for their pungent aroma and distinct flavor. Truffle vendors at the festival showcase their truffles and a panel of judges helps determine the winners of the best truffles in the region. There is a daily price set for the truffles, based on the age old rule of supply and demand.

TRUFFLE VENDORS

As you make your way through the charming cobblestone streets to the festival entrance, you’ll be welcomed by the wonderful scent of truffle wafting through the air. You’ll find the small shops surrounding the festival set up with outdoor tables where you can simply walk up, inspect and purchase your truffles.

THE FESTIVAL

The majority of events happen on the weekends, where you can participate in a variety of activities ranging from truffle sensory analysis workshops to cooking demonstrations with world-renowned chefs. They have a calendar posted with the various activities and costs.

To enter the festival, you’ll need an admission ticket to the grounds. The basic daily general admission ticket provides you access to the festival itself. The cost for the ticket when we attended was 4,79 euros.

If you want to enjoy the wine tastings buy the entrance and wine tasting ticket that will cost you 14.54 euros. That ticket includes three wine tasting tickets, a wine glass and a handy little wine glass pouch that hangs around your neck. There are also a variety of wineries that are set up as vendors, selling their bottles and providing tastings without a ticket.

Once inside you’ll get to peruse the truffle vendors in the market, along with a variety of wine and food vendors that sell everything from truffle cheese to delicious cinnamon glazed hazelnuts that are local to the region.

EVENTS & DEMONSTRATIONS

There are numerous events that happen throughout the festival’s two months, led by chefs and experts from around the world. We attended a few cooking demonstrations which require a separate ticket and are limited to small groups of about 40 people.

During the demonstrations a chef and their assistants, they create a signature dish that pairs well with white truffle. The dishes are prepared so that the truffle is the star of the show;and they are served at the end of the demonstration.

The cooking demonstrations take place in a separate area, when you arrive you’ll be seated at a designated table with your name. The table is adorned with goodies from some of the local Italian sponsors, in our case San Bernardo water and Galup.

Once the session begins, you are served an appetizer and a wine pairing to enjoy as you watch the demonstration. We were served delicious prosciutto Crudo de Cuneo and a local sparkling wine.

You can then raise your trusty “truffle paddle” to alert the staff that you’d like to add truffle to your dish. This is an additional cost and the rate is set daily by the truffle committee. At the time of our attendance, the daily rate was 50 euros per shaving.

If you are planning to attend one of these events, ensure you purchase your tickets in advance as they sell out quickly. We paid approximately 41 euros per class.

Another event we attended was the Barolo Wine Tasting. A local sommelier walked us through the rich history of Piedmont and we sampled three varietals from local producers.

Overall, a wonderful way to spend a weekend in Alba. I’ll have a few forthcoming posts with with some additional recommendations for Italy. Ciao!