Pairings

Marche: white truffles fair
«Gastronom» №10 (93) October 2009

Italian gastronomic festivals

Seaside and hills, woods and vineyards. Fish and truffles, wine and olives. This is all about Marche, a region on the eastern coast of Central Italy. The food and wine scene there is very diverse, and it is puzzling why gourmets around the world still haven’t discovered the region.

The citizens of Acqualagna in the north of Marche are particularly fortunate. They have a luxury of eating fresh truffles throughout the year. Four varieties of the rare mushroom found their ideal habitat around Acqualagna, and the locals can pick them virtually every day.

Savoury black truffles grow under oaks and hornbeams in winter and early spring. Local people search through the woods for marzuolo, a cousin of famous white truffle, from January to April. May opens a warm period of black scorzone which grows almost till Christmas. Real hunt starts for tartufo bianco, or white truffle, the king of mushrooms, in autumn and early winter. What else can Acqualagna be, if not the world’s truffle capital?

Grateful people of Acqualagna organise many events in honour of the eminent mushroom. The National White Truffle Fair is their pinnacle. It takes place annually, at the height of the autumn season.

The population of a tiny town grows exponentially in the days of the fair. Italians, Europeans, Americans, and, naturally, ubiquitous Japanese, who wouldn’t stop taking pictures of mushrooms, gather together. The truffle’s VIP status is confirmed by arrival of high ranking guests. Along with famous restaurateurs, politicians, TV personalities and other celebrities arrive in Acqualagna. Everybody loves truffles!

The town’s central square is transformed into a great truffle kingdom. Around a hundred sellers showcase dozens of kilos of mushrooms. They are admired, sniffed, haggled about and, naturally, bought.

Although truffles take centre stage, other local products are featured during the fair, too. There is a good choice of sausages and cheeses, wine and honey.

The next white truffle fair in Acqualagna will take place from 25 October to 1 November and 7-8 November 2009.

– Brodetto is Marche’s greatest contribution to Italian cuisine. Each port town has own version of this famous fish soup. There are four schools of cooking in Pesaro-Urbino province alone. The recipe includes several types of fish and seafood, while the rest depends on local traditions or cook’s creativity.

– Mushrooms are Marche’s other treasure. White and black truffles from Acqualagna are well known to international chefs, but other mushrooms which abundantly grow throughout the region, are also valued.

– Noble Marchigiano breed of cows graze on local meadows. Their fine meat has been appreciated since the days when dukes ruled of Urbino. Pork and rabbit are often used in local recipes. Notable cold meats are salame lardellato and ciauscolo.

– Formaggio di fossa is a unique Italian cheese. It matures underground for several months to acquire smooth texture, persistent aromas and piquant flavours.

– A curious specialty from the south of Marche is deep fried stuffed olives. They are served in local fritto misto; the recipe has apparently been known for 300 years.

– Like all Italians, people of Marche love pasta. Maccheroncini, tagliatelle and vincisgrassi are the most popular local varieties.

– White Verdicchio is Marche flagship wine. The locals also say that sparkling wine was first discovered in their region. Priest Francesco Scacchi wrote about it in 1622, long before French Dom Perignon was born.

– Other notable beverages include liqueurs by Varnelli who invented bitter Amaro Sibilla from a mixture of local herbs, roots and honey.