Select stores will sell whole black and white truffles, imported fresh from Italy, for a limited time

What: For two days only in early November, Twin Cities’ consumers will have the rare opportunity to purchase fresh black and white truffles at select Lunds & Byerlys. These culinary treats are flown fresh from Urbani Tartufi, a truffle company in Umbria, Italy.

What are truffles?
Truffles are a tuber, somewhat like mushrooms, that grow below ground and have a vegetating body consisting of a whitish mold. This coveted mold attaches itself to small roots of oaks and other trees; it’s through this union that truffles form. Trained dogs are used to hunt for these delicacies.

Because of the difficulty in finding them, along with the intensely manual harvesting process, truffles are one of the most expensive food items in the world. Fresh black truffles typically cost $500 per pound and fresh white truffles cost about $3,500 per pound. One truffle weighs an average of .04 pounds. Due to the fluctuating market price for truffles, the exact per pound price charged will not be known until the sale dates.

Connoisseurs describe the flavor profile as a combination of musk, nuts and the ozone all wrapped to create an irreplaceable flavor worth sampling. Truffles are typically shaved thin or grated and placed on pasta and cheese dishes, omelets, risottos, polentas and sauces.

When & Where:
Friday, November 2, 2012
Noon – 6 p.m.
Lunds Hennepin Avenue
1201 Hennepin Avenue, Minneapolis

Saturday, November 3, 2012
10 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Byerly’s Edina
7171 France Avenue South, Edina
These stores will have two varieties for sale: burgundy (black truffles) and white truffles. Customers will be able to sample truffles before purchasing.