Veneto · Italy
Sottocenere al Tartufo.
Sottocenere al Tartufo is truffle indulgence in cheese form: a supple, pale paste studded with black truffle pieces, perfumed through and through with earthy musk, wrapped in an ash-grey rind rubbed with spices. Rich, heady, and unapologetically seductive.
Rate this cheese
5.0 avg · 1 rating
Origin
45.6°N · 11.9°E
The story
How it's made.
Why it tastes that way.
Sottocenere — 'under ash' — revives an old Venetian trick of burying cheese in ash to protect it during aging, a method once used to keep wheels hidden and preserved.
The modern cheese from the Veneto takes pasteurised cow's milk, folds shaved black truffle through the curd, and ages the wheels under a coat of ash blended with spices like nutmeg, coriander, and cloves; the paste is often brushed with truffle oil as well. The result is one of the most popular truffle cheeses in the world — a gateway to the style, equally at home shaved over pasta or melting on a board.
Production · spec
- Milk
- Cow · pasteurised
- Family
- Semi-hard
- Rind
- natural
- Age
- 1–4 mo
- Intensity
- 3 / 5
- Texture
- semi-soft, supple, smooth
Tasting profile
What it tastes like.
These bars are a visual read of Sottocenere al Tartufo's flavour and aroma notes, scaled by the cheese's overall intensity — a quick guide, not a lab measurement.
Aroma
Nutrition · per 100 g serving
What's in a wedge.
A 100 g serving — about a finger-thick wedge. Daily values use the FDA 2020 reference of 2,000 kcal. Expect ±5% variation between wheels.
Serve, cut & store
Out of the fridge,
into its prime.
Guidance for semi-hard cheeses — general practice, not a per-wheel measurement.
Rest
Take it out about ≈1 h before serving — cold stiffens the fat and locks up the aromas; cool room temperature is when the flavour shows up.
Cut
Cut thin half-moons or batons from the wedge; trim waxed or inedible rinds as you go.
Store
Wrap leftovers in cheese paper or wax paper — never cling film, which suffocates the rind — and keep them in the warmest part of the fridge.
Rule of thumb: the softer and riper, the longer it needs. Thick pieces need longer than thin — and don't leave cheese out much past two hours.
Pairings · Caseo curated
What goes with Sottocenere.
45 pairings across 8 categories.
Wine
Beer & Cider
Where to find it
Cheese counters.
Counter listings for Sottocenere al Tartufo are being verified. Check back soon.
Verified counter listings coming soon. Our team updates listings monthly.
Substitutes
No Sottocenere al Tartufo at the counter?.
These will play a similar role on the board and in the pan.
Take it with you
Want to remember this one?.
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