Christmas Truffle

Tartufo Christmas by La Perla di Torino with cinnamon and ginger

Cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg make the Tartufo Christmas by La Perla di Torino the perfect truffle for the Advent season. Beneath the spice lies a creamy base of almond paste and chocolate, interspersed with crunchy crumbs and a bright note of mandarin.

Tartufo Christmas are winter-spiced chocolate truffles from La Perla di Torino in Turin, Piedmont, rolled from almond paste, cocoa butter, and milk powder. Each 200-gram bag contains about fourteen truffles flavored with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, finished with a hand-tied ribbon.

Chocolate truffles with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg

Cinnamon leads, ginger provides a dry heat in contrast, and nutmeg rounds out the spice from below.

Cinnamon is the dried bark of a tree, and because it releases its essential oils when ground, even a small amount defines the entire truffle. Ginger is added as a ground rhizome, providing that piquancy that lingers on the palate for a moment without burning. Nutmeg is dosed most sparingly, as it would otherwise overpower everything else.

Together, the three create the profile familiar from holiday baking, but here without dough or an oven. Those who enjoy Spekulatius will recognize the flavor after the first bite.

A bright note of mandarin

Over the warm spice lies a natural mandarin aroma that keeps the mixture bright and takes away its heaviness.

This touch of fruit keeps the variety light enough for a second bite, even though the texture is dense and satisfying. Mandarin is the quintessential winter fruit, and it sits on every Advent platter alongside cinnamon and cloves. Within the truffle, it acts like a rising curtain behind the spices.

In Piedmont, citrus fruits arrive in winter from the south over the Apennines and are found in every market. A Turin manufacturer including mandarin in its Christmas truffle is therefore less of an innovation than a neighborly gesture.

Almond paste and crunchy crumbs

The body is provided by ground almonds, finely processed into a paste, with crunchy little crumbs of rice and corn flour interspersed throughout.

The almond paste makes the texture creamy and mild, and the cocoa mass draws it into the dark to ensure the sweetness doesn't become overwhelming. The crumbs are kneaded into the mixture, keeping the Christmas variety gluten-free, like all truffles from La Perla di Torino. This gives each ball two sides: the soft and the crunchy. At La Perla di Torino, the mixture is rolled by hand, and each piece only receives its coating at the very end.

With mulled wine and on the Advent platter

Mulled wine picks up the cinnamon note, while a strong black tea provides a tannic counterpoint.

On an Advent platter alongside nuts, mandarins, and gingerbread, these truffles feel right at home, and as a gift for an Advent visit, this bag is all you need. The variety arrives in autumn and disappears after the holidays, as is fitting for seasonal goods. Store the bag in a cool, dark place until then, as the spices lose their potency in light faster than the chocolate.

Further varieties from Turin can be found at La Perla di Torino, and you can find the festively packaged tins and bags under Christmas. The light Tartufo Bianco is available year-round.