Though not as famous as its bigger cousin, the legendary White Alba Truffle, the Bianchetti truffle (aka tuber borchii, Italian spring white truffle, Tuscany white truffle) offers a similar flavor. This flavor is difficult to describe to someone who hasn’t had an Italian white truffle before, but is often referred to as sharp, earthy, garlicky and/or cheesy.
Since wild truffle prices are based on supply (always limited) versus demand, an enormous benefit of Bianchetti’s relatively unknown status is that they’re available at a much more affordable price. Bianchetti truffle season generally follows the end of white Alba season too, so if you missed Albas, don’t despair…you’re probably just in time for the Bianchettis!
Bianchetti truffles tend to be significantly smaller than white Albas, generally growing to about 15 grams in weight (roughly the size of quail eggs). Because their outer skin is darker than Albas (generally brown to dark orange), they are also known as “whitish truffles.”
Bianchetti truffles are unique in the wild truffle world because they can be any of a wide variety of colors: brown, orange, tan, black or anything in between. Thus, color is not a good indicator of freshness. Instead, look for a firm texture and a strong truffle aroma.
When figuring out how many ounces of fresh European truffles to buy, we usually recommend a serving size of 5-7 grams of fresh truffle per dish per person (that's roughly 4-5 servings per ounce).