THEY’RE HYPER!SENSITIVE… After those dogs have picked up the scent trail, the human truffle hunters in Italy use zappini—long-bladed mini hoes—to coax the mushrooms from the dirt. Giving new meaning to the word “touchy,” these fungi can actually start to rot upon contact with human skin.

How can a dirt-dwelling collection of spores set you back more than your car payment? Here’s what makes tru! e shavings cost up to $3,000 per pound.

A fungus among us!

THEY’RE RAREThe divas of the food world, these oddly- shaped wild tubers grow only beneath certain trees—in superspecific weather and soil conditions—and can be harvested for just a few months in the fall. Unlike other kinds of produce, truffles can’t be grown in a greenhouse, and their flavor can’t be synthesized in even the most sophisticated lab.

THEY’RE UNDER GUARDWhite truffle season in Piedmont, Italy, runs September to December. During this time, many a territorial trifulau (truffle hunter) hunts by cover of night, often with a Lagotto Romagnolo (aka the “Italian truffle dog”), protecting prime spots from rivals. Pigs, the traditional hunting animals, have a bad habit of eating their hauls!

…AND IMPATIENT Once a truffle leavesthe ground, its flavorstarts to erode. It ispossible to freeze and jar them, but most aficionados aren’t crazy about the resulting compromises to flavor and aroma. They prefer paying more to have fresh finds shipped quickly.

BY ALEXANDRA PECCI

DEEP!FRY THAT PIE!The latest “it” pizza—called the montanara—is hi" ing pizza joints across the country. Derived from a Neapolitan recipe, the pie stars so# , $ u% y dough that’s brie$ y oil-fried before being topped with relatively minimal sauce and cheese and a few leaves of basil, then & nished in the oven. The result is a crust that’s chewy, light, oh-so-slightly crunchy—and more or less impossible to resist. —CHRISTINE RICHMOND

a bad habit of eating their hauls!

crust thatmore or less impossible to resist.

In a 2010 auction, Stanley

Ho spent $330,000 on less

than 3 pounds of white truffles!

BUILD A BETTER SNAPSHOTCall it Bad Vacation Photo Syndrome—it happens to us all. Luckily, just a few lighting tricks guarantee a great shot. BY JUDITH PEÑA

To shoot people Overhead (arti& cial)lighting is the enemy:

Everyone looks best with natural light or in a spot with light that appears to be coming from all directions (table lamps work nicely). If light sources are limited, zoom in to minimize the overhead glare.

To shoot landmarks Use the “golden hour” rule: Visit the sites at sunrise or sunset, when natural light is at its warmest and most $ a" ering, Dickman says. Bonus: Crowds are always thinner at that time.

To shoot food Avoid a direct $ ash (too harsh!), and instead hold up a white

napkin to re$ ect any ambient light, says Pulitzer Prize–winning photojournalist Jay Dickman.

THEY’THEY’THEY RE HYPER!SENSITIVE… After those dogs have picked up the scent trail, the human truffle hunters in Italy use zappini—long-bladed mini hoes—to coax the mushrooms from the dirt. Giving new meaning to the word “touchy,” these fungi can actually start to rot upon contact with human skin.

THEY’RE RAREThe divas of the food world, these oddly- shaped wild tubers grow only beneath certain trees—in superspecific weather and soil conditions—and can be harvested for just a few months in the fall. Unlike other kinds of produce, truffles can’t be grown in a greenhouse, and their flavor can’t be synthesized

THEY’RE UNDER GUARDWhite truffle season in Piedmont, Italy, runs September to December. During this time, many a territorial trifulau (truffle hunter) hunts by cover of night, often with a Lagotto Romagnolo (aka the “Italian truffle dog”), protecting prime

…AND IMPATIENTOnce a truffle leavesthe ground, its flavorstarts to erode. It ispossible to freeze and jar them, but most aficionados aren’t crazy about the resulting compromises to

BY ALEXANDRA PECCI In a 2010 auction, Stanley

Ho spent $330,000 on less

than 3 pounds of white truffles!

news & how-to’s | WORD OF MOUTH

page SEPTEMBER 2012RACHAELRAYMAG.COM30

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