I remember the first time I walked into a local trattoria in Alba during the peak of white truffle season, hit by the distinctive aroma of umami meets earth. On steroids. That was the Tartufo Bianco d’Alba. Considered the most famous white truffle (Tuber Magnatum Pico) in the world, the Tartufo Bianco d’Alba can only be found in the northern Italian region of Piedmont within the UNESCO protected territories of the Langhe, Roero and Asti-Monferrato.

The truffle’s namesake Alba is a 30,000 person town within the Langhe zone, famous also for Nutella and Barolo wine. The pure result of its natural environment, this white truffle cannot be cultivated and grows only underground at the roots of hardwood trees–most often oaks (but also willows, poplars and lindends), which reserve rainwater to produce the constant humidity necessary for the fungi.