For three years now, Abrate & Sons has been importing a selection of exclusive specialties from the Piedmont region into Hong Kong.

As we are always in direct contact with our customers from Hong Kong's finest hotels, restaurants and private clubs, we received many requests for a direct supply of gourmet foods from Italy.
On demand, we will track down specifically requested items and import them for our customers. However, we regularly import some of our favourite Piedmontese delicacies, like dried porcini mushrooms, fresh black truffle, white truffle from Alba and, truffled olive oils.

You can read a little bit about these legendary gourmet foods below:

- ITALIAN DRIED PORCINI MUSHROOMS:

The porcini mushroom, also know as Cepe or boletus edulis, has an extremely rich flavour. It is one of the finest mushrooms in the world, and exceptionally delicious.
We offer Italian dried porcini mushrooms in two different quality bands: "A grade" and "Extra grade".

"A grade" porcinis are available in 50g and 100g packs and are exclusively selected and packed for Abrate & Sons.

"Extra grade", are the highest existing grade. They are carefully selected, perfectly sliced, and then dried. These exquisite porcinis need to be ordered 1 week to 10 days in advance and are available in 500g packs.

- OLIVE OIL WITH WHITE & BLACK TRUFFLE AROMA

Highly recommended for its quality by chefs and gourmet food lovers around the world, these olive oils have a genuine taste of fresh truffles, infused into 100% Italian olive oil.
All natural, this earthy, aromatic oil adds a savoury finish to many of your favourite dishes: drizzle over risotto, mashed potatoes, pasta dishes and salads. Particularly good with Carpaccio!
Supplied only in small bottles of 55ml.

- WHITE TRUFFLE FROM ALBA (Tuber magnatum pico)

This subterranean fungus, named Tuber magnatum pico is better known as the White Truffle of Alba, and grows spontaneously under certain trees, particularly oak, willows, limes, poplars and cherry trees.

In our region, and most specifically in Langhe and Roero, the area which experts rate as the best, you will find the familiar figure of the "trifulao" (truffle hunter): a man who knows all the secrets of the woods, and together with his truffle dog (tabau) he painstakingly seeks out the best truffles.

Abrate & Sons has built up a small team of trifulao in Italy who selectively hunt the white truffles on the hills around Alba, looking for maturity and strength of scent, before sending on to us. In addition to expert selection, we further guarantee the authenticity of this highly sought after product.

Depending very much on the season, truffles are available from October to December.

- FRESH BLACK TRUFFLE (Tuber melanosporum)
The Tartufo nero di Norcia, is less precious than the white truffle.
The natural habitats of the black truffle are the woods in central and northern Italy, where the fungus lives in a symbiotic relationship to the roots of trees such as oaks, hazels, sweet chestnuts and pine.
We distinguish between two varieties: the superior winter black truffle and the summer black truffle.
Winter black truffles have their season from Mid November to March and are aromatic, rich in flavour and of an excellent quality, whilst the summer truffles, from May to November, are more common, cheaper and less aromatic, although still of a good quality and a valid alternative.

- La Pasta Martelli

Since 1926 the Martelli family has been making pasta following the same old traditional methods. This family of artisans employs only the best durum flours kneaded with cold water and shaped using bronze draw-plates. This gives the pasta a rough and porous surface, which has a greater ability to hold onto a sauce. It also allows the pasta for greater water absorption - hence it expands to a larger volume and retains more elasticity.
Large commercial manufacturers use Teflon or plastic dies. These are more efficient in producing large quantities of pasta, but produce pasta lacking the attributes found in traditionally made pasta.

The next important step in the manufacturing of quality pasta is the drying process. La Pasta Martelli is air-dried at low temperature for 50 hrs. Large commercial manufacturers machine dry their pastas quickly.

Slow drying leaves the gluten intact. The gluten is fundamental for cooking and to prevent the pasta from turning mushy. A sign of excellent pasta is if the cooking water remains clear. This because there has been no starch dispersal into the water, which is a direct result of the gluten breaking down.

There is a clear difference between the quality of traditionally made pastas and those made by the large commercial manufacturers. Cook them side-by-side and you will notice the difference in the elasticity, bite and ability to hold the sauces.

For any questions about the food items, or for quotations, please contact us directly and we'll answer you within two working days.