Why Oregon Whites Taste Like Oregon

Every winter someone writes that the Oregon white is a poor relation of the Alba white. It is a different species in a different genus doing a different job, and once you stop asking it to be Italian it is very good indeed.

What it smells like

Garlic first, then something closer to a washed-rind cheese, then a mineral note people usually reach for the phrase "wet stone" to describe. There is a high, almost gingery edge at the front when it is properly ripe.

Ripeness is the whole argument

An unripe Oregon white smells of nothing much. This is the entire reason we hunt with dogs rather than rake: a rake takes everything in the ground, ripe or not, and a truffle picked early never catches up. The reputation problem this species has is mostly a raking problem.

In the kitchen

• Never apply direct heat. Shave it raw at the table.
• Put it over something plain and fatty — risotto, egg, buttered toast.
• Store it in a sealed jar with a dry paper towel. Change the towel daily.
• Use it inside a week. It is at its best on day two or three.

Do that and nobody at the table will be thinking about Alba.