Why do we get our knickers in such a twist for truffles – and the white truffle above all? The Greeks and Romans loved them; the Egyptians ate them dipped in goose fat and the Catholic church described them as sinful.

Why do they cost so much?

Given these little fungi’s stubborn inability to be farmed or mass produced, there is a limited supply, which, given their short shelf life, drives prices sky high. They are aphrodisiacs, not just because you’re flashing the cash to potential partners but also because – so the story goes – their musky scent triggers subconscious feelings of attraction and comfort in some humans (and curiously, most female pigs).

When is white truffle season?

The black truffle is present in different forms across the year but right now we have hit white truffle season, which runs until December and means we get to eat one of the most expensive ingredients to be found.

As my invitation to the Alba white truffle fair in Italy’s Piedmont got lost in the post, I did the next best thing and went for lunch at Bocconcino Mayfair.

The best wine for white truffle: Nebbiolo

You’ll have spent a hefty amount on this little lump of gold so it would be remiss to order anything that might reduce its pleasure. The best wine for white truffle is a Nebbiolo, a grape that comes from the same region, Piedmont. It’s a pale, ethereal red, tricking the unknowing drinker into thinking it is light in the mouth, but it has taut, fine-boned tannins and layers of dusky flavours from cherry to violets and, almost always, this mushroomy, truffly note. Barolo and Barbaresco are the premium versions, named respectively the “King” and “Queen” of wines. Barolo is aged longer and is structured, powerful and dense with flavour, whereas Barbaresco comes generally from lower slopes and is typically softer. Both are superb and premium.

If you are looking to snaffle a bargain, then hunt out a Langhe Nebbiolo, which delivers absolute beauty in the glass but at a much more approachable price.

Eating white truffle at Bocconcino Mayfair

I drank through a bottle of Langhe Nebbiolo at Bocconcino and it was a joy with their thin, flavourful slivers of beef carpaccio topped with shavings of creamy white truffle, followed by an excellent white risotto, similarly decked out. The table became engulfed in a cloud of truffle perfume. Given their fragility, speed and skill are required and the truffles I was eating at lunch were harvested in Italy only the morning before. So, order the Nebbiolo (or if you prefer a white, then an elegantly oaked chardonnay) and indulge in this brief window of opportunity for one of nature’s greatest delicacies.