The Italian truffle

What is the mysterious allure of the Italian truffle ? Black gold or white pearls that evoke a passion whether erotic, narcotic or gastronomic all focused upon an unattractive  gnarled nugget of subterranean fungus  that sometimes sells for the price of a small brand new Fiat. As elusive to find as to describe, their history goes back to the time of the Egyptian Pharaohs and the Roman Empire although they were banned by the church in the Middle Ages as their seductive appeal  seem…