Rising global temperatures are causing worry about the future of Italy’s prized white truffles.
In this photo taken on Sunday, Nov. 10, 2019, a white truffle dug from the earth by Carlo Olivero, who has been hunting for prized white truffles in the hills near Alba in the northern Italian region of Piedmont.
“They are clearly signs of the temperatures,’’ Olivero said, holding one that he kept in his pocket. The rest he consigned to the soil, allowing the spores to spread and hopefully replenish future production. The longer-term impact of rising temperatures on the highly prized white truffles is still being studied, but they, like other fungi, grow best in cool, rainy conditions. Climate change has in effect delayed peak production from October into November.
Olivero recalled a maker of the region’s famed Barolo red wine who wanted to cut down two oaks — trees that are perfect hosts for truffles — that were shading his vines. Incentives include a program paying 24 euros a year to property owners to maintain host trees they might otherwise remove. Truffle associations also strike agreements with absentee landowners to keep their wooded property cleared in a way that promotes truffle growth.
“In these days, the quality is especially high,’’ said truffle judge Stefano Cometti. “The low temperatures augment the organic characteristics of the truffle and force it to retain the aroma.”
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