The Black Truffle: the king of the table

An unmissable agro-food event in Umbria

Norcia could be described as the perfect mix of natural beauties and historical-artistic evidences; a little town permeated with mysticism, pervaded by gastronomic fragrances and surrounded by the enchanting and surprising Valnerina, that joints with Sibillini’s mountains.

Its history dates back to the V century B.C., when Nursia was founded by the Sabini and became a Roman municipium at the beginning of the III century B.C. Thanks to its strategic position, it obtained an important territorial role. It is also the birthplace of Saint Benedict, the patron saint of Europe.

But Norcia has an inviting extra oomph: it’s a real gastronomic paradise, land of a rich and genuine cuisine and excellent typical products that spread their irresistible aromas from the small shops to the alleys and squares around: lentils of Castelluccio, spelts, boar meat any sort of cheese and cured meats.

The ancient tradition of pork-butchery was born there, as well as the ‘Norcineria‘, the refined and rich art of working pork meat, dated from the 1200s and famous all over the world, but the real king of the table is the black truffle, a delicious and tempting product that enrich any traditional dish. Norcia, in fact, is the homeland of black truffle and this precious food is the protagonist of several people’s recipes, even though its high quality and the significant prices.

The National exhibition of Norcia black truffle

It’s the perfect occasion to talk about this extraordinary product and know more about it; the 52nd edition takes place in the 2 weekends between February and March and presents a rich calendar of events for any taste.

The origin of this appointment dates back to the 1950s, during the Christmas period, organized with the purpose to alleviate the poverty in the rural world and enhance the relationship between the truffle sellers and the consumers, in order to improve the terms of sale.

Nowadays, this exhibition is one of the most important events of the agro-food industry in Italy, intended to promote and appraise the local gastronomic excellences and lead visitors to the discovery of their characteristics, properties and flavors; it’s not just about truffles, the attention is also addressed to the knowledge of the territory.

It’s an unmissable occasion to taste the most delicious products of the local tradition, thanks to food tasting itineraries with wise and innovative culinary combinations, and to live demonstrations of artisan crafts, but there’s more than this!

The festival mixes tradition and innovation: it offers the possibility to reflect and talk about every branch of local economy, and offers a rich and varying agenda full of recreational and cultural initiatives, pictorial and photographic exhibitions, theatrical performances etc.

The exhibition will be held the last weekend of February and the first weekend of March.