Campo de Daroca and Italy seal an alliance to promote black truffle hunting

The seventh Campo de Daroca Region Black Truffle Days have started this Friday with the public selection ceremony for the Tuber melanosporum at the VI National Truffle Hunting Competition. The focus has been on the professional programme with technical presentations in Murero, consolidating itself as the epicentre of truffle knowledge. During the weekend, experts, producers and enthusiasts meet at the Black Truffle Technical Days to discuss the latest innovations in the sector.

The opening of the conference was carried out by Ramón Celma, First Vice-President of the Board of the Cortes of Aragon. After the opening ceremony, the programme took the attendees toItalian lands with a presentation dedicated to the figure of the triffolau , the traditional truffle hunter of the transalpine country. Antonella Brancadoro, director of the National Association of Truffle Cities of Italy, and Gabriella Di Massimo, a mycologist agronomist, have delved into the importance of this profession, which is deeply rooted in Italian culture, history and legislation. Currently, in Italy there are about 120,000 licensed truffle hunters, organised into two large associations. To practice this activity, it is mandatory to pass an aptitude test to ensure control of the profession and contribute to the preservation of truffle ecosystems.

One of the highlights of this edition has been the signing of a collaboration agreement between the Municipality of Monteu Roero, Piedmont, and the Campo de Daroca Region for the development of joint truffle hunting competitions. In this area of ​​Italy, they are specialists in the search and hunting of truffles and, thanks to this twinning, it is stipulated that the winner of the National Truffle Hunting Competition of the Campo de Daroca Region will have a direct place in the Competition of Monteu Roero, and vice versa. This agreement, which was signed today in the Municipality of Murero, reinforces the international projection of both competitions and encourages cooperation between territories with a deep truffle tradition.

Another of the central themes of the day was the use of discarded truffles. José Manuel Pardo (Gourmet&Chic), Pedro Marco (CITA) and Jesús López, president of Truzarfa, presented the different categories of truffles, highlighting that, although not all are suitable for direct consumption, those of lower quality can be used for the extraction of bioactive compounds and that they allow the aromatization of products or in the cosmetics industry. A strategy that, in addition to reducing waste, avoids the devaluation of the market by preventing low-quality truffles from being sold as a consumer product. This initiative is part of the ‘Truffo Project’.

In addition, following last year’s success, attendees have once again enjoyed a blind truffle tasting, a sensory experience that has allowed them to explore the differences in quality and aromas of Tuber melanosporum, organized by Pedro Marco, a researcher at CITA.

In parallel to the technical sessions, the VI National Truffle Hunting Competition is taking place throughout the weekend and the Plaza de la Fuente in Murero is hosting the Mercado de la Tierra with various agri-food stalls. Precisely, so that visitors have more information about conservation, cooking and types of truffle, an experimentation table run by CITA has been included in the agri-food market. In addition, an exhibition of hunting tools in Italy and Spain has been set up and throughout the day there are activities and games for children with a truffle theme.