Tartufo Dolce Nero – dark chocolate truffle with hazelnuts

Dark truffle praline with Piedmont hazelnuts

Tartufo Dolce Nero are dark chocolate truffles from Tastelanghe in Piedmont. A blend of dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa and 31% ground hazelnuts from the family's own orchards, studded with hazelnut pieces and hand-shaped. 110 grams.

Tartufo Dolce Nero are dark chocolate truffles from Piedmont. At Tastelanghe, a blend of dark chocolate and 31% ground Piedmont hazelnuts is created, into which pieces of roasted nuts are also folded. Each praline is individually hand-shaped and wrapped.

Tart, deep, with crunchy pieces

In the mouth, the fine mixture of dark chocolate and ground hazelnut opens first, then the nut pieces come through. The cocoa sets the tone—at least 70% in the chocolate—and the hazelnut provides warmth underneath. A pinch of salt brings both together.

The finish takes its time. Of the three tartufi, this is the most serious, and the only one without milk powder in the chocolate.

The consistency is not that of a ganache—not the melt of a cream truffle, but something denser, slightly grainy. This comes from the ground nut and is the difference between a praline and a tartufo.

Thirty-one percent hazelnut

Almost a third of the praline is hazelnut—ground into the mixture and distributed in pieces throughout. This is why a tartufo doesn’t taste like a chocolate truffle, but rather nuttier, grainier, and less creamy.

The dual use is intentional: the ground nut carries the flavor through the entire mixture, while the pieces provide the crunch. With only one or the other, the praline would be either boring or uneven.

The nuts grow on 40 hectares in Somano in the Alta Langa. The Quazzo family has been cultivating the groves since 1891, now in the fifth generation.

Why the praline is called a truffle

The white Alba truffle from Piedmont is the most expensive edible fungus in the world, and Alba is less than twenty kilometers away from Somano. The local confectioners created a sweet allusion to it: a praline in the exact shape of the fungus—round, compact, and slightly irregular.

Since they are hand-shaped, no two look the same. That is exactly the point—a machine-pressed tartufo would be a contradiction in terms, as no truffle grows symmetrically.

Each praline is individually wrapped and grouped in a box. This makes it a gift that doesn't need an explanation.

The most serious of the three

The three tartufi share shape, nut content, and handcraft, but they cater to different people. The Bianco is mild, the Caramello is sweet and salty, and this one demands that you really love dark chocolate.

In return, it is the only one you can serve after a hearty meal without it being too much. After a beef roast with Barolo, a sweet praline is often too much of a good thing—not this one.

Store in a cool, dry place, not in the refrigerator. Sealed, the pralines will keep for several months.

It only melts properly at room temperature

The Tartufo Dolce Nero comes into its own with a strong espresso, as well as with a small glass of Barolo Chinato. It also pairs well with dessert wine—the bitter notes catch the sweetness of a Vin Santo or Passito.

Serve at room temperature so that it melts properly. Straight from the refrigerator, the mixture remains hard and releases little aroma; this is even more noticeable with pralines that have a high nut content than usual.

You can find other specialties from Tastelanghe made from the same hazelnuts at our shop—the Tartufo Dolce Bianco made with white chocolate, the dark hazelnut cream spread, or other pralines and truffles from our assortment.