Italy Food News - Truffles, Saffron, and Mr. Peperoncino
November is the height of Italy's truffle season. Truffle fairs and local festivals serving truffle dishes are in full swing. The biggest Italian white truffle ever bought at an auction, weighing 2.4 pounds, sold for $41,000 at a charity auction last weekend, according to the New York Times.
San Gimignano, the hill town in Tuscany famous for its towers, was also famous for producing saffron up until a few centuries ago. Small farms around San Gimignano have revived saffron production and this year's harvest looks very good according to AFP.
Here's a hot news item - this year's winner of the Mr. Peperoncino contest, held recently at Lake Como, ate 485 grams or about a pound of peperoncini (hot chili peppers) in 30 minutes, according to ANSA.it. The current record, set in 1997, is 800 grams of chili peppers in 30 minutes. Contestants can also have water, wine, bread and mashed potatoes. Peperoncini are used mainly in southern Italian cooking.
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Visit from 19 october to 23 november
Fiera del Tartufo nero di Fragno, in Parma province. Black Truffle of Fragno.
Visitors are welcome.
I have heartburn just thinking about all that peperoncini. Ouch.