All the knowledge, advice and closely guarded secrets of Truffle hunting has been passed down from father to son through five generations of the Cipriani family.
There are many references through the ages about the Truffle, some dating back to 1481. It has been referred to in English as the the Diamond of the Kitchen and in Italian as the King of the Table.
This mysterious and unique fruit of the earth, with its unmistakable aroma and extraordinary taste.
As a child, I was always fascinated when My Grandfather, Cesidio Cipriani, would tell stories of his own youth, when together with his parents and his grandparents, he would go in search of these precious Truffles. In those days they did not use dogs, there were no telephones, nor cars and most of them did not even know how to read or write. They would search, with their precious Truffle Hogs, for the whole season scattered in the mountains.
The sale of the Truffles was not an easy at the time. The entire Harvest would be sent by train to companies in the North of Italy. Here they were weighed and priced at the discretion of the recipient company and paid by Postal Money Order.
I remember thinking that it sounded so complicated, first finding and then selling them, so I asked him would it not have been easier just to give up and do something else? He explained that At that time, most people worked on the land or reared livestock. Truffles have always brought a wealth unlike these professions, even during the hardest times. During the war and then the post-war reconstruction, we carried on with our Truffle hunting he then added And once you learn about Truffles and become passionate about them, it is all you wish to do. It is not a profession that you would want to leave
My father, Mario Cipriani, was just six years old when he started to go Truffle hunting with his parents. The search methods had begun to change, Truffle hogs had been replaced by dogs and there was now also the possibility of renting entire areas of land for the sole purpose of Truffle hunting.
Today, modern technology had brought with it the car, mobiles phones and the Internet. Sales have become straightforward and the demand for high quality Truffles has increased.
Time has brought radical changes, and like everything, this has brought both improvements and degeneration. Unfortunately, though the government regulates the research and collection of Truffles (Law Regional December 16, 1985, n. 752) with the arrival of the internet, people have began to take it upon themselves to search for Truffles. Inexperienced Truffle hunters have dug up precious Truffle areas, causing damage to other wildlife and sometimes destroying Truffles themselves.
I strongly believe that it is imperative to always respect nature.
My time has now come to take on the passions of my forefathers, with the words of my grandfather in mind once you gain passion for Truffles, it is all you wish to do
Today, I enter in to the captivating world of the Truffle and take on the sales of this prestigious product, in Italy and the rest of the world.
I guarantee to bring you fresh Truffles of superior quality.
