They are extremely temperamental, the fresh ones, they can easily get contaminated through handling or airborne particles. Having said that, a good white truffle with go on perfuming for the good part of two weeks, handling be damned.

No, no, no, my fellow commentators, you have to be in the presence of a truffle to understand! You can only love or hate the all-enveloping aroma (if you put one in your fridge unwrapped, your butter, eggs, cheese, brocolli will be truffleized), it is not a neutral foodstuff.

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