A surprising variety of truffles can be found in unexpected locations throughout the world, from the tricholoma matsutake of Japan to the tricholoma magnivelare of Alaska. Indeed truffles have been found in the United Kingdom from Bath to Scotland and can also be found as far afield as New Zealand and the Kalahari. Nonetheless, three truffles occupy the highest place at the gourmand's table: These are unsurpassed in flavour and aroma. They are, of course, the White Truffle, the Black truffle and the Summer Truffle. The best specimens of these are found in Southern France, and, principally, in Northern Italy.   Based in Levice, in the heart of Northern Italy's best truffling territory, Here Comes Truffle supplies these 3 most prized truffle, and also supply 2 less commonly found variants of these, the Bagnoli truffle and the Smooth Black Truffle. Other truffles also become available throughout the year, these are less familiar to the most truffle fans, and include tuber uncinatum chatin (sometimes called the Burgundy truffle), tuber brumale vittad (the trifola nera), and tuber borchii vittadini – the bianchetto. No epicure can consider their lives complete without sampling these at least once in their gastronomic lifetime.
The White Truffle, tuber magnatum pico, is the ne plus ultra of the Truffle world. Growing in symbiosis with oak, poplar, beech and hazel- and typically only in Italy, the best White Truffles are found in the Po Valley, the Appenines, but it is generally agreed that the best come from the Langhe area of Piedmont (where Here Comes Truffle is based).   An irregular tuber with smooth skin from creamy yellow to pale hazel, the flesh is found from pale cream to pale brown and is marbled with white veins. The flesh is solid, hard & brittle, white truffles will break into pieces if dropped on a hard floor. Specimens usually grow to about 30-50g, but 500g and above is not unheard of. The season is typically from late September to late January, with the best harvest time occurring in November. Click here to order.

Tuber Melosporum, the Black Truffle, is the black diamond of the dinner table. Found with greater frequency than its elusive counterpart, the black truffle is found in the Perigord region of France (hence it is often referred to as the Perigord truffle), but can also be found in Provence, Umbria, Norcia & especially in the Langhe.

The black truffle is generally irregularly round, with a rough black skin made up of thousands of small polygonal extrusions (warts). The flesh is hard, solid and marbled with hymenium or veins which disappear on cooking.

Generally the Melanosporum grows to a maximum diameter of about 7 cm and weighs in the region of 40-50g. Rare examples reach 100g.

The black truffle grows from mid-November to March in symbiosis with oak trees. These may not be as highly esteemed as the White Truffle, but they are still damned tasty and highly sought after. Click here to order.




The Summer Truffle, tuber aestivum, can be found from June to November.

The Summer Truffle is quite similar to melanosporum but is covered in larger, pyramidal warts.

The flesh is a solid brown, with white hymenium which disappear on cooking. Not quite as pungent as it's black and white brethren, the Summer Truffle has a fairly delicate aroma.

Irregularly round, it grows to about 3-4 cm in diameter and 20-30g in weight. It is found in a variety of locations throughout Europe. Naturally tuber aestivum from the Langhe region are superior to all others. Oui, c'est vrai. Click here to order.



It is rarely a good idea to wash a truffle. The best method of cleaning truffles is to use either a toothbrush or a suede brush specifically for this purpose.

If so desired, a damp cloth or kitchen towel may used to give the truffle a once-over before cooking or eating. Here Comes Truffle will typically use a soft-bristled brush to remove the bulk of the dirt from individual truffles. We do not get over-enthusiastic with dirt removal- especially in the case of white truffles- for fear of spoiling the aroma. We do not use water at any stage when preparing truffle deliveries.

The best tool to use for truffle preparation is a 'mandolino' or shaver to generate thin slices. Truffles are edible raw, and there is some disagreement among truffle fans as to whether raw truffles are superior to cooked truffles. Our suggestion is to try both as you can be fairly sparing with truffles given their strong flavour.

If you need to store or transport a truffle put it in an airtight container – glass jars are often used, but our experience is that tupperware is equally good. Put raw rice or even uncooked polenta or kitchen roll in with the truffle to absorb moisture.

There are arguments for and against refrigeration of truffles. We have found that refrigeration does extend the shelf-life of truffles, in the case of black truffles for as long as 14 days. Black truffles typically keep longer than white truffles.

Generally truffles keep for about a week to 10 days from being gathered. We put the 'harvest' date on the packaging supplied with the truffle to allow you to make an informed decision about how quickly to eat the truffle, although we suggest that you eat your truffle as quickly as possible, because if you don't, somebody else probably will!