This is incredible, have a look this arrived this morning from my supplier, and for those of you who follow Mesubim, I wrote plenty about truffles, I adore the aroma of fall-winter truffles. So what do you look for in accessing a truffle and the quality?

The first is a physical inspection and remember once they are retrieved from the underground the truffle goes through a metamorphosis. Sold to the supplier he must clean it, dust it for transport, and make sure it is ready to be shipped. In Japan there are certain certificates such as radioactivity certification and some other paperwork for importation.

So, if and when you buy white truffles, wherever you are bear in mind that truffles are found all throughout Italy. The chic Alba truffles are certainly amongst the finest, but there are plenty of other regions up and down all of Italy where you can find white truffles. To make a long story short, see it, smell it, touch it (no perfume on your hands) and see how the aromas settle into your olfactory.

After some time you begin to realize what are great truffles, this takes years of sniffing, the root of all great truffles is the forehead impact. It hits you right between the eyes and I think of truffles as being similar to 25-year-old vintage wines. You take the chance when you buy vintage wines, it can be excellent, or just average. You first test them by sniffing; a valid condition report for regular tasters or experts, and sniffing helps you distinguish the differences. You develop patterns of smell-taste and the same goes for truffles. We always hope smell matches taste.

But as important in buying the right truffle is how to maintain truffles and that is a key factor is preserving any truffle. I have tried it (as I’ve seen it in the mountains) maintained in new print and wrapped in a cloth, and usually placed in some kind of container.

I do not recommend using rice but rice helps to absorb humidity and that’s good and bad. The idea is not too wet, nor too dry and so controlling the truffles is critical otherwise worms can appear after a while. Remember this is the breeding ground for worms, it is their food too.