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Edmund Wong
The Jean-Louis Palladin Foundation plays a positive role in the culinary world by creating opportunities for advanced learning. The Foundation allows individuals to learn about various ingredients in their natural environment, encouraging each of us to expand and share our experiences.
Our travels took us to the heart of ancient civilization - Italy - to learn about truffles, olive oil and cheese. The trek started in Rome and led us to the Umbria region. We visited the Urbani family in Spoleto, where the surrounding hills are brimming with truffles. In the neighboring town of Foligno, we spent time with Marco and the olive groves. Heading north we went to Parma to savor proscuitto crudo and behold the making of Parmesan Reggiano cheese by Paolo and his brother, the two master cheese makers.
The common thread through our trip was the value of the family instilled into the vocation, devotion and passion shown to their craft. We visited a culture with a deep rooted appreciation of the importance of the role of food in defining each of us and an understanding of its significant role in society. They recognized the value of meal time as a forum to share our adventures, stories, to bond.
The Urbani family, Truffles and Spoleto
Our excursion started with meeting Armando, our driver, who met us at the Rome airport and brought us to Spoleto and Scheggino where the Urbani Truffles headquarters is located. During our two-hour drive, our conversation in English, peppered with words and phrases in French and German, was filled with talk about Italy, Cameroon, Germany, USA, and the various countries in which we had lived. We compared different perceptions of cuisine with each other and juxtaposed our views with those in Italy. Cultures were identified by their internal and external attitudes and opinions towards food. This was the first of many conversations that occurred regarding the stereotype that all food in the US is fast food.
We talked a lot about the role of truffles in the Umbria area. Armando explained that early November was a very hectic time to visit Urbani since it was the height of the white truffle season. As a driver, it was especially important for him to make connections at the airport as missed flights meant a loss of freshness and thousands of dollars.
Spoleto
Spoleto is a small ancient town located in central Italy, in the hills of the Umbria region. Picturesque as any other place in Italy, Spoleto dates back two thousand years to the Romans, who built a large outdoor amphitheater there. The town played an important role in the medieval Papal States’ hierarchy until a shift in power in the mid centuries and subsequent trade routes were diverged elsewhere. Today the town is most known for its summer arts festival, the “Festival of Two Worlds”.
Using Hotel San Luca as our base of operations, we spent our first late afternoon exploring the town. Walking the narrow cobble stone streets was like stepping back through time, we were suddenly transplanted in a medieval setting right out of a storybook. Many of the shops were filled with all things truffle; various oils, purees, preserves, infused honey, and dried pasta with black truffles.
 The first food experience was brilliant in its simplicity and execution. Pizza!! A standing room only pizzeria, the aroma wafting in the cool air attracted locals and tourists alike. This was completely unlike your typical American pizza, overburdened with cheese and grease on a soggy crust. Theirs was incredibly simple. The crust was thick and crunchy yet light and airy, brushed with olive oil, rosemary, and coarse salt on the edge, topped with mortadella, tomatoes, or salami and a sprinkling of cheese.
Our first experience with java in Italy is best described as comical. Coffee culture in Italy is quite different than in the USA. Cappuccinos are drunk only during breakfast. Espressos, or café macchiato, are had throughout the rest of the day, and are meant to be consumed frequently and quickly.
The common phrase of café latte in America just doesn’t hold the same meaning in Italy. My exchange with the server on our first morning concluded with me only getting a pot of steamed milk as latte in Italian translates as milk. Thoroughly embarrassed, I humbly asked for a side pot of coffee. From then on, I just drank cappuccinos in the morning and espressos the remainder of the day.
Urbani and family
Urbani is synonymous with truffle and to better understand the history of truffles is to realize the history of the Urbani family. Paolo Urbani, the president of the company holds the rank of Cavaliere del Lavoro, a coveted designation of Italian entrepreneurial merits. With his brother Bruno, the two elder statesmen of the family have been the driving force and vision behind the company, passing down ethical practices and skills learned from their father before them. With his constant focus on educating the world about the wonders of truffles, much is credited to Paolo Urbani for building the Urbani brand into what it is today. Urbani Truffles is a family business through and through. Our host, Olga Urbani, along with her cousins Marco and Carlo, are the fourth generation of Urbani’s to carry on the truffle business.
Olga, daughter of Paolo, deals with marketing, public relations, plus the administration of all of the subsidiaries of the company. Olga is a woman who defines grace, and elegance, the ultimate host. Marco, the son of Bruno, oversees sales. A well-groomed businessman, humility underlies his intellect and business savvy to conclude a deal. His brother, Carlo, is in charge of foreign markets and the network of sourcing raw products. Carlo seems most comfortable in the fields, interacting with nature and the hunters.
Even though they each have a defined role, there is nothing about the business that they do not all know or handle at any given moment. Together, they work in unison to further develop the brand, expand the market and, most importantly, spreading the knowledge and understanding of truffles and their role in gastronomy.
When we first met our host Olga Urbani, I was fully immersed in a “six degrees of separation” moment. It’s truly a small world when you can sit in a hotel lobby in the middle of Italy, and unexpectedly meet up with a fellow chef from Las Vegas, both of you there to experience the wonders of truffles.
 Olga thought the other chef was joining us as well and was concerned that her car would be too small. Once we sorted out all the introductions, it turns out her small car was a brand new Porsche Carrera 4!! I couldn’t help but to break out in a grin and think to myself Viva Italia!
Upon our arrival at Urbani headquarters, the aroma of fresh white truffles was intoxicating, just breathing the air made you hungry. We were given a royal welcome. Bruno came out first to greet us and welcome us to the world of truffles. Paolo joined us shortly after, both gentlemen speak limited English, but their demeanor and sincerity spoke volumes of their generosity.
We were then quickly ushered to Marco’s office, to witness the sealing of the latest deal with Carlo and a hunter. The truffle was the size of a navel orange! My eyes nearly popped out of my head, the glint in Carlo and Marco’s eyes told us this was not the first enormous truffle they had seen.
Truffles
So, what is a truffle? A truffle is a mushroom that grows below ground, found near the roots of oak trees and some willow trees. Truffles begin as a whitish mold, collecting nutrients in the soil, spreading spores which attach to the roots of nearby plants and trees, and ultimately developing into truffles as we know.
The white truffle, Tuber Magnatum Pico, is the most prized, and most expensive of the four types. It is also known as the Alba or Piedmont truffle because the majority of white truffles stem from those regions. White truffle season stretches from September to December in a frenzy of activity. This truffle has a distinct heady aroma, with an intense earthy flavor. A good quality white truffle can fetch as much as US$3000 per pound.
 The dark outer skin, with brown marbled flesh, defines Tuber Melanosporum Vitt, or the Black Winter truffle. Some argue the black winter truffle is more appealing than the white, with the aroma and flavor less pungent, it is considered more subtle and palatable. This season ranges from December to mid April.
More common and more readily available is the Summer Black truffle and Bianchetti truffle. It is found from May to early October. Many of these truffles are used in preserves, purees and garnishing and make up much of the volume on the market.
The Factory Floor
The central area of the headquarters, the factory floor, as it was referred to, can be basically divided into three parts, research and development, processing and last, but not least the fresh area!
Research and Development
During one of my briefings with Olga, her assistant came in to inform us that her father wanted to speak with her and that my presence was requested on the floor as well.
The research and development team was in the final testing phase of their new white truffle puree product. Mr. Urbani wanted my opinion from a Chef’s viewpoint, since my colleagues were their target demographic.
The puree was filled with the expected flavor of the white truffle but had a slight gritty texture. They explained that it was not to be eaten alone, but used as a spread, folded into a sauce, or tossed with pasta or risotto. I tried a second sample, this time spread over a piece of bread. It was an amazing transformation; the sense of grit was gone, mellowed by the bread, turning it velvety in the mouth with a well balanced flavor on the tongue. A smash hit soon to be turned out on the public.
Other popular Urbani products range from truffle honey to purees and pastes packaged in small toothpaste like tubes, from whole truffles in cans preserved in their natural juice, to what Urbani calls Truffle “carpaccio”, as well as a variety of sauces.
An of course, there is the ubiquitous white and black truffle oils. In the majority of all truffle oil products on the market today the truffle aroma is derived from a gasoline by-product, a chemical additive meant to duplicate the truffle aroma and flavoring. Olga noticed my initial shock, and she teased that when I returned to the USA to do my own experiment and to attempt to infuse my own truffle oil. (Yes, I experimented and it doesn’t hold). Urbani infuses their truffle oil with a natural essence that is created during an enzymatic reaction with casein, the protein found in milk. Years were spent collaborating with a university in southern Italy to develop this natural truffle essence.
Processing
The majority of the production on the factory floor at the time of our visit was focused on an order from a client in Germany for 40,000 jars of truffle carpaccio. Truffle carpaccio is summer truffle boiled in its natural juice, chilled and then sliced paper-thin; to emulate the classical Italian dish of thinly sliced meat.
 A huge bin, one that could comfortably hold three grown adults, held the pre-sliced truffles. Two ladies filled the jars with truffles and a third lady carefully weighed each one, adding or subtracting to achieve the amount required. Another person stacked the filled jars in a neat rack. After filling, some juice was pored over the truffles and the jar was sterilized by steaming. From there, the jars were sent to a holding cooler. The next day, the jars were sent to the packaging area to be labeled and boxed.
Fresh
Domenico, the Product Manager, was the caretaker of all the fresh truffles. In his coolers is where I saw masses of truffles; white and black, all shapes and sizes. Baskets held literally thousands of dollars of white truffles, some the size of a small grapefruit. The intense aroma completely numbed your senses. There were baskets brimming with black truffles. For a Chef, it was like being a kid in a candy store.
Domenico is a man of few words, but he is obviously well versed in the care of fresh truffles. Each morning he displayed the daily inventory of white truffles, choosing the best for the very top clients. In the cooler were five large rectangular bins, two feet by four feet and about four inches deep, containing white truffles. Only once were they all brought out, in a temperature controlled room, for inspection by visiting clients and guests. Otherwise, the truffles were kept in the cooler covered with soft damp linen. It was explained that the linen would help minimize moisture loss. Loss of moisture meant a loss of weight, and hence a loss in revenue.
The white truffles are handled with the utmost care and diligence. The highest quality of truffle should be firm, strong in aroma, and free of imperfections. Any blemishes, cracks, or chips greatly reduce the value if not the quality. Domenico showed me a large truffle that had been accidentally dropped and split in half. I calculated that particular truffle’s value had dropped by 65% and had been in the inventory for four days. Considering that usually truffles could not be found fast enough to keep up with the orders, this truffle’s fate was a bit tragic.
Marco explained that white truffles sometimes are found with small holes burrowed in the surface. This is a result from the truffles being attached to the roots of trees or from snails having a bit of lunch. Obviously, it’s just not humans who find them a delicacy. Holes from tree roots are uniformed and round, penetrating inward toward the center. Where as snails’ holes are jagged, porous, and have a larger circumference.
The white truffles are painstakingly cleaned by hand, with small pairing knives and fine toothbrushes, to clear out the dirt. It is a slow, meticulous process. During one of the cleaning sessions, Marco stopped by to drop off yet another acquisition, carefully unwrapping the truffle, noting that is was already designated for a buyer in France and not to be cleaned. I took this opportunity to ask why some are cleaned and others not. Marco stated that ultimately it all depended on the Chef’s economic restraints. Some must have it spotless, deeming any other condition as second class, whilst others will purchase them straight from the ground. With that mystery explained, it was back to a slow brush, brush brushing!
My time in the cooler led to a greater debate: Does size matter? In the truffle world, no, the size of the truffle does not increase or decrease its quality, value, flavor, or aroma. But the perceived value to the guest in the dining room, with large shavings of truffle over a bed of spaghettini is priceless. There are countless debates over yield, usage, price and so on but I believe there is no right answer, to each their own taste.
Lunch Time with Sales
As I mentioned before, the height of the white truffle season is very hectic. Ramina and Alessandro, two international sales associates, were constantly on the phone, switching from Italian to English, French, German, and Spanish, never missing a beat in any of the languages. Constantly in touch with clients across Europe and overseas, contacting the Urbani outposts to hear the latest finds or price spikes and customer needs. Phones rang constantly, their assistants taking messages or asking people to hold on the line, all in between puffs on a Marlboro. Yes, they still smoke at their desks (though the office is clean and well ventilated) amid the papers and invoices being hustled and shuffled about for the appropriate signature, as day timers are referenced and appointments scheduled.
Among this hectic pace, we still had time for lunch and when I mean lunch, it was lunch. A leisurely two hour-break if not longer. I asked Ramina if we would be missed, and she responded with “Why would we be missed, its lunch time?” All right I thought, why question it, when in Rome, do as the Romans.
It turned out to be a five-course truffle themed meal. Starting with an antipasti of razor thin proscuitto and various other salumi, followed by scrambled eggs with black truffles, truffle tagliatelle, and two small truffle crusted beefsteak, with a splattering of unfiltered olive oil. Wondering why we did not finish all our plates, the Chef came out to accuse us of not eating enough and to see if we did not enjoy his cooking. The food was fabulous, but through our interpreter we told him that we were not used to eating so much at lunch. The chef nodded in understanding yet immediately sent out a delicate almond-truffle cake and coffee with cookies.
Ramina explained over the eggs that in Italy lunch is still considered a time where one should be able to take a break and not be rushed because eating on the run is disrespectful to the food and the ingredients. Plus everyone else is at lunch, so there is no business happening anyways, and due to time zone difference, her overseas clients hadn’t yet woken up.
On another day, driving to lunch, Alessandro stressed the importance of having all the proper paperwork in order, the invoices correct, shipping labels, and visa authorizations, to ensure the timely delivery of the white truffles. White truffles are accorded top priority on airfreight second only to organ transplants. Albeit Bureaucracy forever a stickler for triplicate style paperwork, truffles will be left to rot at the airport without correct documentation.
Truffle Hunting
Truffle hunters are a unique breed of personality; very private, closer to their hunting dogs it seems than to others, and oh so secretive of their hunting fields, lest others raid their territory. The hunt starts off very early, before the sun rises. The dogs are anxious, knowing when they find a gem they are rewarded with a treat. Lots of space is given to the dogs, so as not throw off the scent or create a distraction Dogs are trained not to eat the truffle and actually bring it back to there master held gently in their teeth.
This part of the industry is still very much a cash business. The hunters are, for a lack of better word, freelance agents who bring the truffles to the highest bidder. There are no set regulations governing this process. It creates a viciously competitive industry. Relationships between hunters and wholesaler are volatile and have resulted in Urbani and a few large companies working together to create a ceiling cap on rising truffle prices in attempt to curb the black market.
Farming as an alternative source of truffles has not yet been perfected. Urbani has made attempts to inoculate the roots of the oak trees in their orchards with truffle spores but the results are too erratic to build a foundation. Cultivation is a science in progress; the truffle phenomena still the earth’s natural gift to the senses.
Having filled our minds and stomachs with truffles, we left the Urbani family to continue our education.
Viola, Olive Oil and Extra Virgin
What does it really mean to call olive oil, extra virgin? The debate rages back and forth. Marketing schemes and saturation of products on the market, coupled with loose regulations have resulted in much of the misinformation regarding quality extra virgin olive oil. With the help of Pam, our olive oil guide, we went to a boutique mill called Viola to find our answers.
Marco and the process
Marco Viola is a master olive miller operating his family business that dates back to the early-20th century. The latest mill stands on the original site of his forefathers’ mill from 1917. Located near Foligno, a few towns down the rail line from Spoleto, the Viola family presses olives strictly grown in the Umbria region. Over a frenetic six-week period, the Marco and his family are deeply involved in the operation from harvesting pressing, and bottling, down to packing and shipping.
These oils are made with a blend of three olive varietals, Moraiolo, Frantori and Leccino. The olives are delivered twice a day direct from the harvesting sessions of nearby hills filled with olive groves. The season in Umbria to press olives starts in October and is finished near mid December. I had never seen raw olives before and I was amazingly surprised that when I touched them, the mild oils could be felt on the surface, and afterwards your hands felt like they had been rubbed with lotion.
 The olives are staged in large containers outside and then emptied into a feeding chute that is connected to a trough filled with flowing cold water where any remaining debris, branches, or leaves are removed. From there, the olives are placed in a hopper to be “pressed”. In reality, the olives are run between two large rolling pins fitted with small needles that puncture the olives and release the oil. The oil is then separated from the paste. At Viola this paste of skin and pits is discarded but other mills have been to known to sell it for re-pressing- hence the importance of first pressed oil. The remaining water is extracted from the oil in a centrifuge, then filtered and stored in large vats to temper and a wait bottling.
On this day, there was no filtering, as the production was geared to making “Nuevo” as the new oil made from olives picked during the first two weeks of the season. A limited, high demand variety, this oil is young, raw, pungent, with an intense aroma and full-bodied flavor. If you talked too much in the mill, the air was so saturated with this raw, grassy scent that it created burning sensation in your throat.
The oils are first stored in 5L jugs, reminiscent of old dairy cans, these are emptied into 3200 liter vats in the bottling room. At Viola the oil is still bottled by hand, a reminder that this was just a family run operation, not a huge conglomerate. The Nuevo is normally bottled after a couple weeks of pressing but not tonight. The focus was maintaining the flow of the press, as the afternoon’s harvest was soon to arrive.
The rest of the olive oil is not bottled until the end of the season. As the olives continue to ripen through the season, the oils reflect the maturation, changing in profile. These results in blending the oils produced throughout the season to complete the finished product. Here is where we see the true art and talent of the olive miller.
EVOO
According to Marco, quality olives, cold pressed, purity and most importantly acidity level define Extra Virgin Olive Oil - EVOO. It must contain an acidity level equal to or lower than 0.8percent. The ultimate temperature to press the olives ranges from 22 - 24° Celsius.
Denominazione di Origine Protetta, or DOP for short, is the designation for product integrity and quality of food and drink in Italy. Acidity levels are the main criteria for olive oil. This is where the manipulation of EVOO begins that plagues the overall market. If a poorer quality olive is used, obviously the end result is also of a lesser quality. Similarly, pressing the olives at a colder temperature results in lower yield, but the definition and range of cold varies from one producer to the next. A higher temperature results in more yield, but creates a bitter taster, and a higher acidity level. To combat the acidity level, certain additives are used or blended oil made from another product is mixed to balance flavor and acidity. Some will even use the leftover paste to repress for maximize yield. Oils that earn the DOP designation cannot use these techniques to achieve the required acidity levels and thus the quality and flavor of DOP oil is measurably superior.
Armed with olive oil in hand, we set of north to the city of Parma.
Bertozzi, Parma and Parmesan Reggiano
Parma is the home of proscuitto crudo and the world renowned Parmesan Reggiano, a hard cheese made from cow’s milk that has been aged between one and three years. The Bertozzi Company was established on the outskirts of Parma in 1901.
 With Valentina, our guide from Bertozzi our day began very early in the morning as the whole milk from Bertozzi’s own dairies arrives just before dawn. From the trucks it is pumped into large holding trays where it is screened for purity before it is mixed with the milk that arrived the night before. After mixing, it sits, allowing the cream to separate from the milk. This provides Paolo and his brother Dominic, the master cheese makers, with the 28% fat milk needed to make Parmesan.
Paolo and Dominic are the ultimate authority on the production floor, directing everyone, moving with graceful ease but clear direction and attention to detail. Dominic, with his slight touch of hand, dipped into the hot liquid of each vat, manipulating small pieces of curd, kneading and touching, nodding in approval or shaking his head, instructing the others on the precise moment to begin the next step or whether to give the curd more time. With some of the excess milk, Paolo deftly strained small batches of milk freshly into the most aromatic ricotta imaginable.
 Everyday, the milk is poured into 16 large 3200 liter copper lined cauldrons, which would produce only 32 wheels. The milk is mixed with whey to produce the curd, and heated to 60° Celsius. Some leftover whey is kept as the starter for the next day’s production. Everything is still made by hand, from the mixing, to the extraction of the curd with wooden paddles and cheesecloth, and rotating the ageing wheels stored in the warehouse.
After the curds are taken out of the liquid, it is rolled downstairs to be placed in a plastic ring mold for a minimum of two days to create its shape. The cheese is then transferred to stainless steel rings with the DOP designation labels on the outside imprinting the month, year, dairy number, and inspector number on the beginning stages of rind. The cheese is placed in brine for a minimum of 25 days, to extract water and add the salt needed to develop the flavor.
The young cheese is then moved to the warehouse to be stored and aged up to one to three years. The dairy consortium that regulates Parmesan production is very strict with their rules and quality guidelines. Any slight imperfections will render the Parmesan unusable or relegation to a lesser grade. Because cheese is a living bacterial culture, great care is taken to ensure the proper production conditions and hygiene levels are met.
The Parmesan wheels are kept at an optimum temperature of 16 - 21° Celsius, resting on shelves made from pinewood. Every one of the hundreds and hundreds of wheels is turned by hand on a daily basis, each weighing up to 55 or 60 pounds.
On one of our evenings in Parma, we ate at a quaint restaurant called La Greppia. We had an appetizer called Parmesan Espuma, served with a poached pear, walnuts and baby arugula salad. A light drizzle of olive oil and aged balsamic decorated the young leaves. The espuma was like a smooth mousse, bursting with Parmesan flavor, yet subtle on the tongue, a soft texture firm enough that it would hold the shape of a quenelle, and would melt in your mouth. It was tempered by the sharpness of the salad and sweetness of the pear and balsamic.
We were so enamored with the dish; we asked the server if he would share the Chef’s secret on how to prepare the appetizer. His answer captured the essence of our trip, “It is so easy! All you need is some milk, some cheese…” (A slight pause for effect), “and some knowledge!”
Full comprehension is aided by seeing first hand, by doing, touching, and executing. Experiential learning combined with passion, theory, and knowledge creates a well-rounded experience.
Much of what we witnessed is seeped in tradition, the knowledge and technique passed down from generation to generation. Oral history evolving through technological means to give us the modern marvels we savor today.
Food and beverage has always been a defining feature of cultures and they are means to connect to one another as individuals and as a society. Cuisines provide us with the ability to cross boundaries, to express ourselves, and to evoke emotions and feelings when words fail to do justice.
With special thanks to Vittorio Giordano and Clint Arthur, who made this journey possible, to allow us this experience of a lifetime.
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