San Miniato Truffle Festival

At Pat's recommendation, we planned our time in Tuscany so that we could experience a truffle festival.

The white ones are more expensive and look like mutant, minature potatoes and are slightly spongy to the touch. The black ones look like little terds. They are underground growing funguses (think mushroom) and have a warm, earthy woody scent to them.




They are prized, rare and must be sniffed out by dogs - underground. They used to use pigs as they apparently go bonkers for them.



If you don't believe me that truffles are serious food in Tuscany...check out this picture above I got off the news wire...Now that ain't no Hawaii sea rock...This is a 3.3 pound truffle unearthed in Tuscany that recently sold by auction to a billionaire for $330,000.

Rob sneezes uncontrollably around them...and we were around a lot of them. It is perhaps my favorite aroma and flavor - If they made a Yankee candle from truffle oil -- I'd just sit by it all day and salivate.

We bought one that couldn't have weighed more than a gram or two. We paid $25, took it home on the airplane wrapped in several layers of plastic so Rob could breathe...and Rob prepared a heavenly pasta for me!