{"id":919,"date":"2022-10-04T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-04T07:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.langhe.net\/?p=919"},"modified":"2022-10-14T16:02:47","modified_gmt":"2022-10-14T14:02:47","slug":"the-national-truffle-fair-and-the-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/langhe.net\/en\/919\/the-national-truffle-fair-and-the-market\/","title":{"rendered":"The history behind the White Truffle International Fair in Alba"},"content":{"rendered":"

4Since its Roman origins<\/strong>, Alba has always been a city inclined towards commerce<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The local markets and celebrations<\/strong> have a history that has been going on for centuries.<\/p>\n

Initially they had a religious<\/strong> purpose, then with the Constitution of the Albertine Statute (1848) these events became purely of a civil nature<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

The city’s commercial nature became increasingly stronger after the prosperity brought upon by the Unity of Italy<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In the early 1900s Alba saw considerable development<\/strong>, particularly in the left part of the Tanaro river.<\/p>\n

This is why in 1925 the Frazione Mussotto<\/strong> obtained the municipality’s approval to organize, at the beginning of September, an annual holiday<\/strong> to celebrate livestock.<\/p>\n

Three years later, during a meeting of all the major cities in the province, Alba<\/a> too asked for, and obtained, the permit to set up its own autumn holiday<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n

The Harvesting Festival<\/h2>\n

The first Alba Fair<\/strong> was established as the Harvesting Festival.<\/p>\n

Given the vast area available<\/strong> for the celebrations, it was decided to unite the festival with the Mussotto feast which, in the meantime, grew considerably and needed to find new space.<\/p>\n

In addition to exhibiting the typical Mussotto livestock<\/strong>, the town of Alba was ready to host various types of popular events<\/strong> and exhibitions<\/strong>, including one entirely dedicated to truffles.<\/p>\n

The relation between truffle and the city of Alba<\/h3>\n

The truffle entered the history of this area in a very natural way<\/strong>, in ancient times: triffole<\/em> or tartuffoli<\/em> were one of the regular Communities\u2019 expenses, made each year to honour lords and feudatars<\/strong> by giving them the precious mushrooms.<\/p>\n

But truffles were bought also by simple farmers, and when in 1741<\/strong> count Carlo Giacinto Roero<\/strong> from Vezza<\/a> tried to disciplinate the truffle market, the local Community reacted vogorously.<\/p>\n

The rural proclamations tried to impose a tax on each excavation<\/strong>, but the peasants defended themselves by declaring that the good they got from their lands was necessary to make up for the payment of taxes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s clear how closely truffles were linked<\/strong> to farming economy.<\/p>\n

<\/div><\/div>


The trifulau (truffle hunters) at the fair<\/p><\/div>\n

The Truffle “exhibition”<\/h3>\n

The 1928 truffle exhibition was created by the hotelier and restaurateur Giacomo Morra<\/a>.<\/p>\n

He decided to give value to this excellence, recognizing its great food and wine<\/strong> and tourism potential<\/strong> and used the term “Alba Truffle”<\/strong> for the very first time.<\/p>\n

The success of this initiative was so great that it became a permanent event<\/strong>, and introduced a prize for the best truffle.<\/p>\n

The \u201cExhibition sample fair, with prizes, of renowned Langhe Truffles\u201d<\/h3>\n

The following year, in 1929, the first \u201cExhibition sample fair, with prizes, of renowned Langhe Truffles\u201d was organized<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

It took place in late autumn<\/strong>, one month after the Harvest Festival, so as to favor the maturation of this hypogeum fungus<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In 1932 the fair, as it was fully developing, consolidated its ties with the typical products of the area<\/strong> and in particular with wines.<\/p>\n

During that year Pinot Gallizio<\/strong> launched the Donkey Palio<\/a> (Italian content only), the farcical donkey race<\/strong> created to give the Truffle Fair importance and to mock the Asti Palio.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/div><\/div>

The departure of the Donkey race<\/p><\/div>\n

The first Truffle Fair<\/h2>\n

In 1933 the Truffle Fair<\/strong> officially replaced the Autumn Festival.<\/p>\n

Each passing year the citizens and people living in the area awaited the fair with great expectation<\/strong>, and the event became richer and richer.<\/p>\n

The side events<\/strong> kept increasing, thus keeping the event lively for numerous days.<\/p>\n

The first tourists were attracted<\/strong> by the musicians who paraded in the city streets and by the restaurants that offered truffle-based dishes in what had been, until then, a small town fair<\/strong>.<\/p>\n