The seasons of truffle
Urbani Tartufi and Slow Food Publishing present “Le stagioni del Tartufo” (The seasons of Truffle), a book celebrating 170 years of history of the Umbrian company that conquered the world with this prestigious tuber, bringing the taste of Made in Italy beyond national borders. For its 170th anniversary, Urbani Tartufi traces its incredible journey through the crucial moments of six generations of the Umbrian family that revolutionized the truffle market, in almost two centuries of passion and audacity. The book wishes to pass on a unique story about innovation, love and, most of all, values passed down through the generations, since 1852.
“In these 170 years, all my family has always put love and dedication in this work and they’ll keep doing so, with bravery and togetherness- says Knight of Labor Olga Urbani, President of Urbani Tartufi- the idea behind this book is to put in writing the words and images telling the story so far, in order to make the number 170 a milestone for all those who will come after us.”
The partnership with Slow Food Publishing to realize this book is part of the process Urbani Tartufi started a while ago, towards 360-degree sustainability. The company, in fact, fully shares the Slow Food philosophy of respect for the environment and the ecosystems and of passing on the knowledge guarded by lands and local traditions. Truffleland - the adventure started by the last generation of Urbanis- is the sign of the family’s sustainability breakthrough, looking at the future from a new perspective and a new approach, devoted to the safeguard and preservation of raw materials.
Over the past few years, many books were published about the stories of great Italian entrepreneurial families. Companies that made history not only with the results of their often century-old- activities, but that are also a concentrate of once-in-a-lifetime human experiences, thrilling both to write and to read.
“The collaboration with Urbani for the celebratory book of the company’s 170th anniversary gave us the opportunity to publish a fascinating and exciting story. The saga of a family devoting its passion and energies to truffle for generations, from a small Umbrian town to the world.”- commented Carlo Bogliotti, CEO of Slow Food Publishing – the achievements of these almost two centuries of work speak for themselves, but discovering everything they undertook, with creativity and bravery, is something surprisingly worthy. We are satisfied by the first reactions of critics and public and glad to have had a better insight on a valuable and exciting family business.”
Beyond the story of the Urbani family, the precious contribution of Slow Food Publishing also allowed the complete and articulated narration of the magical moment of truffle hunting –now Unesco’s immaterial heritage- and the various seasonal peculiarities of the most precious tuber in the world. Each of the 4 seasons has, in fact, different typical raw materials and, therefore, different preservation methods and recipes.
“The passion bringing together six generations of this family finds its common thread in truffle. There’s something unusual and overwhelming in this gift of nature, unique to us – comments Giammarco Urbani, CEO of Urbani Tartufi- thanks to this book, everyone will be able to relive Urbani Tartufi’s story, which isn’t just the story of a family, but also an ode to this extraordinary product of the earth.”
The Urbani family also involved the chefs collaborating with the company every day, sharing with the readers their huge culinary expertise to fully enhance the distinctive flavor of truffle. Within the book there are, in fact, many recipes, ideated by Italian and international chefs who made the history of world food tradition, interpreting in their own way a raw material that requires study, attention and balance. A proper cookbook showing the versatility of truffle in the various seasons of the year, from the more traditional dishes to some unique gourmet reinterpretations.
