A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean fungus. Some of the truffle species are highly prized as food. There are different types of edible truffle, including the black truffle, summer (burgundhy) truffle, white truffle, whitish truffle, and the garlic truffle.
Italian white truffles are very highly esteemed and are the most valuable in the market. They are mainly found in the Piedmont, Marche, Abruzzo, and Tuscany regions, and are typically harvested in autumn until December. Several cities and towns in Italy host annual white truffle fairs, San Miniato being one of them.
San Miniato has been a center of truffle hunting for decades. In 1954, a record-breaking white truffle weighing over 2.5 kilograms was found close to the nearby village of Balconevisi. It was send to the United States as a gift for President Dwight D. Eisenhower. San Miniato's first truffle fair was held in October 1969 and after a two-year break it has been held annually ever since.
The White Truffle Fair in San Miniato is one of the most important events of its kind in Italy, along with the International Alba White Truffle Fair. It takes place every year during the last three weekends of November. The fair offers a unique opportunity to taste delicious dishes made with the precious white truffles for a reasonable price (dishes with truffles are typically very expensive), participate in truffle hunting, and buy traditional Tuscan products, such as wines, olive oil, cheeses, honey, cold cuts, chocolate, and more.
The program of the fair also includes workshops and lectures conducted by experienced truffle hunters and guest chefs, wine tastings at a local winery, and other gastronomic and cultural events for a wide audience. Local producers offer an impressive selection of fresh white truffles and truffle-based products like truffle oil, sauces and pastes, truffle salt, and others.
