What kind of mushroom is a truffle and where does it grow? Truffle is a delicious mushroom: features and types. White truffle description

According to Roman legend, truffle is a powerful aphrodisiac. Aristotle said that he makes a gourmet rush headlong into the whirlpool of love adventures. And later Alexandre Dumas wrote: “They [truffles], under certain circumstances, can make a woman more affectionate and a man more ardent.” So be careful who you eat them with!

The value of white truffle

In this article I would like to talk about the white truffle - a marsupial tuberous mushroom of the truffle family that grows underground at the roots of trees. Truffle has the taste of a mushroom with a hint of well-roasted seeds or walnuts. The white truffle is short-lived and begins to wilt as soon as it is taken out of the ground. Even under ideal conditions, it retains its taste for no more than 10 days.

It was never possible to cultivate truffles, which means that these amazing mushrooms are of particular value to true gourmets. The number of truffles produced is decreasing every year. The cost of one kilogram of white diamonds, as this type of truffle is often called, often reaches £1,500!

How is white truffle extracted?

Previously, these mushrooms were searched for in wild groves with the help of female pigs with a phenomenally fine sense of smell. It was believed that the smell of truffles resembled the pheromones of male pigs. Unfortunately, it turned out that pigs really love truffles and, having found mushrooms, immediately ate them themselves.

Currently, specially trained search dogs that are indifferent to mushrooms are mainly used to search for truffles. They are trained from an early age by burying pieces of strong-smelling cheese for the dogs to search for. When the animals can successfully cope with this task, the trainers begin to bury small pieces of truffles. Such training can take more than five years! It is not surprising that a good dog truffle hunter can cost about 10 thousand euros.

Truffle hunting time: September – December (best varieties of white truffles), January – March (winter black truffles), March – September (summer black truffles).

Where does the white truffle grow and when should it be collected?

Beware of purchasing truffle dishes out of season. Otherwise, instead of this magical ingredient, you risk getting, for example, a paste sprinkled with sawdust. When purchasing white truffles, be sure to pay attention to where they were sourced from. For the best truffles you need to go to Italy in the fall . 20% of all truffles in the world grow in Italy. The total productivity of the main regions of Italy where this mushroom grows reaches 84,000 kilograms per year.

The season for white truffles is limited: at best, if the summer is good, they are available from the beginning of October to the end of January. In bad, lean years, the season may last only a few weeks. And, accordingly, the cost of truffles reaches sky-high levels. In general, the price of these mushrooms is very unstable - it can change every day.

Italians are very fond of truffles and even celebrate the truffle festival on a grand scale, especially in Central and Northern Italy. True gourmets gather for the festival and look forward to the appearance of fresh mushrooms in local restaurants. The specific smell of truffles fills the air with magical aromas, and at every step you will find freshly prepared dishes with these famous mushrooms - risotto, pasta, sauces, butter, creams, fonduta. By the way, white truffles are often eaten raw, after being cut into thin slices. Truffle festivals are also remarkable because at this time you can buy the best mushrooms at discounted prices.

The white truffle is especially common in Piedmont (in the areas of Monferrato, Langhe and Roero), Tuscany, Umbria and Le Marche. It is here that festivals celebrating the local delicacy are held in October and November. This is a great time for a romantic trip to an extraordinary corner of the world, where nature pleases the eye and you can have a feast for the stomach by tasting delicious dishes made from white truffles.

White truffle festivals

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