Do you have fresh truffle?
a tar-TU-fo FRE-sco
Asking about fresh truffle availability at a specialist market stall.
Truffles (tartufi) are among the most expensive ingredients in Italian cooking. Fresh white truffle (tartufo bianco, Tuber magnatum) from Piedmont or Umbria is available Oct–Dec; black truffle (tartufo nero, Tuber melanosporum) peaks Dec–Mar. Both degrade quickly and must be used within days.
Ha tartufo bianco o nero?
Do you have white or black truffle?
Distinguishing the two main commercial species
Quanto pesa questo?
How much does this weigh?
Truffle is sold by the gram — weight is crucial
Può grattugiarlo?
Can you grate it?
Asking for fresh truffle to be grated over a dish
Norcia in Umbria is Italy's truffle capital for black truffle. The town hosts the Mostra Mercato del Tartufo Nero every February. White truffle from Alba in Piedmont is even more expensive, reaching €3,000–5,000 per kilo in good years.