Books and territory / Cooking and plants

I tartufi. Poemetto

Author:

Giambernardo Vigo

Publication date:

1776

It is a short poem by the “rhetoric professor” from Piedmont Giovanni Bernardo Vigo, which was published in Turin in 1776; the original language was Latin, therefore the title Tubera terrae, Carmen. This book was part of a genre called didactic poetry, particularly appreciated in the XVIII century, and it enhanced the use of the valuable tuber, so important for Piedmont’s economy. The author takes into account the economic and social consequences of the truffle cultivation, without forgetting about the gastronomic side.
Not only Vigo’s book is the first dedicated to the truffles’ picking in Piedmont, but it also gives us a living picture of the production area between the Po and the Bormida.

Né lunge ricercar per noi dovransi
Le felici campagne. A noi le mostra
Il Po stesso, che verso delle liete
Piagge, d’ onde il sol nasce, e non lontano.
Dall’ alte mura, di Turin, torcendo,
Di tai campagne una gran parte fende…

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