Winter marks a number of things: an abundance of glowing festivals, the return of mulled wine and, of course, the harvest of Australian black truffles. Truffle season is brief, running only between June and August, so if you want to get a taste of that coveted fungus, now's the time to act.
To help you satisfy that craving, the South Melbourne Market is running A Truffle Affair, a series of self-guided degustation tours centred around the almighty truffle. You'll begin your journey at Georgie's Harvest, an Australian truffle supplier, where you'll learn all about the flavours, varieties and aromas of the Australian truffle. Georgie will also be your go-to for hot tips on how to prepare and cook truffles.
Next, you'll taste your way through truffle-infused dishes by some of the market's most popular proprietors like Bambu, Cobb Lane, Proper and Son, Cannoleria and Smithburg. There's a lot to taste, but highlights include scallops with butter and shaved truffles, mushroom and truffle croquettes, truffle and cheese toastie and cannoli filled with truffle and chocolate chip-infused ricotta.
A Truffle Affair is running from July 22 to 31, and you can choose between the 11am and 2pm sessions each day. Tickets are $100 per person through the website, and for an additional $80, you'll receive a truffle-filled goodie bag stuffed with black truffle salt, goat's cheese and truffle ravioli, Tartufo truffle honey and mushroom and truffle tapenade.
