San Miniato and the Search for Truffles

Perhaps you read the article on the internet about three years ago, when a record was set for the worlds most expensive truffle? (It sold for $112,000!) The uncovering of this gem took place in San Miniato Italy, a small hilltop village about 45 minutes from Florence. For those of you who are not familiar with “What” a truffle is, don’t ask me! That’s what Wikipedia is for!
A "Tuberacae" truffle refers to a fungus that grows attached to the root system of an oak tree in the Mediterranean Europe.
Truffles are often hunted for by dogs or female pigs. Truffle hunters use female pigs because of their acute response to the odor produced by the truffle, however on discovery they tend to eat the truffles rather than recover them. In light of this, dogs, which are more easily controlled, are trained to use their keen sense of smell to locate truffles. Tuberaceae truffles emit the scent of a male pig and thus attract the female pig.
Now is that doesn’t sound like something you would love to put into your mouth, I don’t know what does :>)
Seriously though, there are few things on earth more delicious than truffles (Emma Silverman would tell you that there is nothing better!) and every fall, in France and Italy, its truffle season. So Anna and I decided to head to San Miniato to check out the town, its church and find a local restaurant that would serve us up some of those things that smell like male pig! Did we ever find all of these things, for this was one of those days that we came to Italy for. We walked the nearly empty streets of San Miniato in the light rain and stopped by a local gastronomia shop and purchased a small white truffle for home (We shaved that little sucker on some ravioli as well as on scrambled eggs the next day!
Following our truffle purchase, we ducked into its main church atop the hill (San Miniato is a walled town). There is a story behind this beautiful, somewhat simple church (Anna’s favorite in all of Italy thus far, which is really saying something!). During World War II, the German’s took about two hundred residents as hostages in the church. The American’s were unaware that there were Italian citizens inside the church and thought that there were only German soldiers holed up inside. They dropped a bomb on the church’s Dome, accidentally killing nearly two hundred civilians. We were the only ones in the church that cold morning when we arrived and there was a deeply spiritual feeling as Anna and I sat in silence and thought of that day some 60 plus years ago.
Finally, we jumped into the car and grabbed our trusty book (The one that Claire Leheny gave to us) that has time and again turned up terrific hidden little places to eat in Tuscany. Our journey took us 12 miles from the hilltop town famous for its Truffles, to a little Trattoria in a small village. As has been the case so many times, we scored a direct hit and had an amazing meal. Anna and I shared ricotta ravioli with fried sage and fresh grated truffles that were to die for. Or second dish was a grilled pork loin that was crisp on the outside and so tender that it melted in your mouth on the inside. Anna had hers topped with fresh grated white truffles and I had fresh porcini mushrooms. This one will go down as one of the truly great lunches, great days and some of the best quality time that Anna and I have had together on this four month adventure!

***Footnote: Since this post was written, the record was broken in near by Palaia where an even larger Truffle was found and sold for $330,000 to a man from China!