The Black Diamond of Cooking

There are several dozen varieties of truffles, but only one counts in the eyes of connoisseurs: Tuber melanosporum.

Although it is commonly referred to as the “Périgord truffle”, it is in Provence, the homeland of Truffières de Rabasse, that 80% of the French production of Tuber melanosporum is harvested!
Also called “black truffle”, it is the most flavoursome and perfumed variety. The ultimate truffle, the Holy Grail of gourmets the world over!

“The truffle is the diamond of cooking”, said Brillat-Savarin, the famous author of a succulent gastronomic treatise (The physiology of taste, 1825). Effectively, the truffle is a black diamond and is one of the most beautiful jewels of French gastronomy. Truffle markets have a similar atmosphere to gemstone markets and their harvest has very much an air of being a treasure hunt…

However, much more than its commercial value, it is its powers of attraction which cast a spell over connoisseurs. The aromas and flavours of truffles are bewitching…. And, its ability to enhance the products with which it is combined has made it an undisputed muse of a great many chefs, from ancient times to the present day.

Christian Etienne, the “Pope of Truffles”, knows this better than anyone else...