Truffle is an edible member of the Truffle family.

Appearance

The fruiting bodies of truffle mushrooms are round or tuberous in shape and range in size from 2.5 to 10 centimeters. Their surface is dark in color - from bluish-black to brown-black. It often contains pyramidal warts, but there are also types with a smooth surface.

The pulp of a young truffle is dense, while that of a mature one is loose. At first it is whitish, but as it ages it becomes brownish-yellow. When cut, the light veins inside the pulp give it a marbled color. The taste of truffle pulp is sweetish, reminiscent of a nut. The aroma of the mushroom is pleasant, similar to the smell of algae.

Kinds

The most common types of truffle are:

Summer

It is found in central Europe, including Russia (its second name is “black Russian”). It is valued less than other types of this mushroom. The ripening season for this truffle is summer and the first month of autumn.

Ginger

It grows in Europe and North America. It can also be found in Siberia.

White

This truffle can be found in the northern regions of Italy and neighboring regions of France. It is also called Italian or Piedmontese. The surface of such truffles is brownish or light ocher in color. The inside of the mushroom is dense, whitish or yellow-gray, its marbled pattern is cream or white. This type of truffle smells similar to cheese with garlic. Its collection is usually carried out in October.

Black

It is considered the most valuable among mushrooms of this species. It grows most often in France. The second name of such a mushroom is associated with the area of ​​growth - Perigord mushroom. It is distinguished by a reddish-brown-black surface color, dark pulp, characteristic odor and pleasant taste. Such a truffle grows in winter time, it is collected in January-March.

Winter

This mushroom grows in Switzerland and France. It is also found in Ukraine. Its main difference is the ripening period (November-March).

Where does it grow

Truffle is an underground mushroom. It usually grows at shallow depths, and old truffles may appear on the surface. You can find such a mushroom in forests - both deciduous and mixed (among coniferous trees truffle appears extremely rarely). It loves calcareous soils and often grows under the roots of birches, oaks, hornbeams, and beeches.

This type of mushroom grows in Central Europe. In Russia, it can be found in the Caucasus on the Black Sea coast. Truffle searches are carried out by specially trained dogs and pigs. Above the places where truffles grow, in evening time(at sunset) you can see swarms of yellowish flies.

How to choose and where to buy

Since the mushroom has a short shelf life (2-4 days after picking), it is therefore eaten fresh only during the picking season. These mushrooms are not sold in regular supermarkets. They can be purchased in specialized departments and directly from suppliers. Most often, truffles are purchased in small quantities for restaurants. For long storage truffles are canned and frozen. Mushrooms are transported in special containers, sometimes immersed in olive oil or covered with rice.

Why are truffles so expensive?

The cost of this type of mushroom is very high. A kilogram of this delicacy costs from 400 euros. The high cost of truffles is due to the difficulties of growing, the seasonality of obtaining this mushroom, as well as the high taste and aromatic qualities of the product.

The value of truffles is primarily influenced by the size of the specimens. The larger the mushroom, the higher its cost. The most expensive are mushrooms with large size(like apples), but less than 1% of all collected mushrooms will grow such truffles. About 10% of the harvest is nut-sized - these truffles are classified as Extra grade. About 30% of mushrooms the size of a grape are collected. The remaining mushrooms are even smaller, so they are cheaper and are mainly used for making sauces.

Characteristics

• The mushroom is considered a gourmet food.
• It has a mushroom taste, mixed with the taste of nuts or seeds. When truffles are placed in water, they have a taste similar to soy sauce.
• Truffle has a strong characteristic odor.

Nutritional value and calorie content

100 g of truffles contains:

Chemical composition

By consuming truffles, a person receives with them:

• proteins;
• vitamins C, PP, B1 and B2;
• carbohydrates represented by mono- and disaccharides;
• minerals;
• pheromones;
• alimentary fiber;
• antioxidants.

Beneficial features

• The presence of pheromones in truffle improves emotional condition person.
• This type of mushroom contains many antioxidants.
• Truffle juice can treat eye diseases.
• A positive effect of consuming truffles for gout patients has been noted.

Harm

• Individual intolerance (extremely rare).
• Digestive problems.

Application

In cooking

• A serving of truffle for one dish is rarely more than 5-8 grams. The mushroom is weighed in a restaurant on very precise scales.
• Often truffle acts as an addition to the main dish. The mushroom is cut on a special grater.
• This mushroom goes well with any food, especially with dishes that do not have a particularly pronounced taste.
• In French cooking, truffles are most often combined with poultry, lobsters, eggs, and fruits.
• The mushroom can be served in its pure form, and to highlight the taste, it is served with creamy or wine sauce.
• Fillings for pies and truffle sauces are made from small truffles.
• Slices of mushroom are often used to decorate black caviar, snails and other exotic dishes.

You can learn even more about truffle mushrooms from the following video of the Galileo program.

In cosmetology

Cosmetologists in Italy include truffle extract in masks and skin creams. They claim that adding this mushroom to cosmetics helps tighten the skin, remove age spots, and cope with fine wrinkles.

Growing

The cultivation of the truffle mushroom in France began in 1808, when the first truffle oak trees were planted. Later, truffle groves were created, producing up to a thousand tons of mushrooms per year. The decline of the country's agricultural industry also affected truffle cultivation. Every year from French plantations truffle mushrooms Harvesting less and less.

In addition to France, such mushrooms are grown in China (now this country is the leader in truffle cultivation), Great Britain, the United States, Sweden and Spain, as well as in Australia and New Zealand. Truffle grown in China has less aroma, but is attractive due to its low price and great similarity in appearance and taste to its French counterpart. To improve the quality of mushrooms supplied from China, they are mixed with truffles grown in France.

• It is believed that truffle contains a substance with psychotropic effects. It's called anandamide.
• Due to the unknown origin of a mushroom that was not known about long time, many legends have appeared around the truffle. The ancient Romans considered this mushroom to be healing and enhance potency. In the Middle Ages, truffles were given mystical powers. During the Renaissance, this mushroom was considered an aphrodisiac.
• The use of truffles in cooking began in the 15th century by Italian chefs.
• Truffles were grown in the Moscow province, and bears whose teeth had been pulled out were involved in their collection.
• In the village of Lorgues en Provence there is a restaurant whose menu includes big number dishes with truffles.

“Tell me, what is a “black truffle”? Can it be grown at home?

Sofya Petrovna Zolotenko, Dnepropetrovsk

Indeed, the question of the Truffle family is of interest to many today.

Black truffle - who is it?

The black (or Perigord) truffle is very interesting in itself and has been widely popular in cooking for many years because it has extraordinary taste.

The black truffle is considered a real treasure of the French. In general, truffles are called gourmet mushrooms, royal mushrooms, “black diamonds”, because they have no equal in the whole world. But even these colorful epithets do not give a true idea of ​​the truffles themselves.

The secret life of the black truffle

Many mysteries surround truffles. So, no one in nature has ever seen them grow. Even those who have been collecting them for years. After all, the entire life of a truffle passes underground and is completely dependent on trees or shrubs, the roots of which become their breadwinners, sharing carbohydrate reserves.

For a long time, truffle propagation was a mystery. For ordinary mushrooms, everything is simple: their spores are carried by wind or water. But truffle spores are spread exclusively by animals. After all, in order to produce offspring, this mushroom must be found, dug up, eaten, allowed into the intestines of forest gourmets and evacuated from there along with natural fertilizer. Only then will it be able to germinate in a new place and start the next life chain.

To attract animals, the mushroom, hidden in the soil, has only one attraction - its aroma. But not all truffles smell delicious. Most of them exude a stench similar to the smell of rotten herring or rotting onions. And only a few types of underground mushrooms, among which occupies an honorable place black Perigord truffle, pleasant for humans.

Domestication of the truffle

Attempts to “domesticate” truffles have been going on for quite some time. Considered a delicacy, black truffle costs several thousand euros per 1 kg. Therefore, the idea of ​​growing truffles at home is very tempting. But if it were as simple as, for example, growing champignons, then truffles would be freely available.

In Ukraine, several types of truffles grow in oak and beech forests. Summer truffle is often found in Crimea. These can be found even in the vicinity of Kyiv. All types of truffles are listed in the Red Book. And at the beginning of the last century, they were massively collected in Ukraine and sold to France.

At the same time, if the appropriate conditions are created, it is very possible to grow black truffles.

Black truffle - king mushroom

Growing technology

The most successful technology for growing truffles is considered to be Australian. It allows you to get up to 4 kg/ha within a year. In the future (after 5 years), up to 20 kg of truffles can be collected from one hectare. The Australians themselves say that although this method of growing the delicacy is expensive, considering the cost of mushrooms, it pays off.

The truffle culture in Ukraine is almost forgotten. But this does not mean that this mushroom cannot be here at all. In Tasmania, for example, where continental climate, truffles never grew. And the first strange mushroom was grown there in 1995. There are currently 55 truffle farms in the Australian state. This delicacy is sold depending on the type, quality and demand. Prices start from 1200 euros per kilogram!

Truffles are grown in several stages

Infection

Seedlings of holm and pedunculate oak (common hazel are also used), which grow well in Ukraine, are infected with the mycelium of the black French truffle.

To get well-developed mycorrhiza on plant roots, it is better to infect not young plants, but seedlings.

In oak seedlings, the main root is initially formed, and then the main stem. In the first year alone, the root can reach 50 cm in length. Higher growth rates of the root, compared to the stem, persist for several subsequent years, which contributes to the high viability of plants in different conditions.

The seedlings are kept in sterile conditions for several weeks for the mycelium to take root. After successful inoculation, the seedlings must be planted in the nursery, which must be strictly quarantined for the first months.

The final engraftment of mycorrhiza lasts about a year, until the shoots reach a height of 20 cm.

Selection and preparation of a site

The choice of place where these delicacies will be grown is very important:

• Soil pH should not be less than 7.5; optimal level - 7.9;
• the soil should be high in humus and calcium, well aerated, without stones;
• before planting seedlings, deep mechanical processing must be carried out;
• there should be no other competing fungi in the soil;
• at the time of planting and during the first two years, the presence of weeds around young oaks should not be allowed;
• relatively dry climate (this condition is more important for oaks than for truffles);
• the average temperature in summer is between 16.5 - 22°C;
• the territory should not be too relief, so that mechanical tillage of the nursery soil is not complicated.

Truffles are a genus of delicious mushrooms with underground marsupial tuberous fruits.

There are hundreds of varieties of truffles, but the most expensive are black truffles from Périgord in France and white ones from Umbria and Piedmont in Italy.

Black truffles (French, summer, Perigord) grow in the ground near oak and birch trees. Black-brown on the outside, these mushrooms are red-brown on the inside. They are distinguished by a strong, persistent, distinctive and very distinct aroma and slightly nutty taste.

White truffle (Italian, Piedmontese) - more rare view, than black, therefore it is most valued among mushrooms. Externally it is similar to Jerusalem artichoke, has a brown peel and light flesh with red veins. White truffles have an even more distinct aroma than dark ones.

Truffle harvests can vary greatly from year to year. Of course, the best truffles will always have a high price, but in years of poor harvest the price can double or even triple.

The high cost of these mushrooms is due to the specific conditions for their growth, the method of their collection, storage and, of course, their refined taste and aroma.

When they grow

Truffles have a fairly short season. For black truffles this is from November to March, and for white truffles it is from late autumn to early winter. As a rule, the collection of white truffles in Italy begins in October.

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The length of the season cannot but affect the price of the product. Accordingly, fresh truffles are most valued at this time - many restaurants announce the beginning of the season and create a special menu for tasting the delicacy.

This year, the harvest season for white truffles in Italian Piedmont is still at the end of September. Thanks to favorable weather conditions, experts predict a large harvest of truffles of excellent quality, which should surpass the 2012 harvest.

How are they collected?

Collecting truffles is a complex process that requires great care and lengthy preparation. Truffles grow one at a time, each club is separate and must be removed from the root of the tree so as not to damage it. Pigs, sensitive to their smell, look for places with earthen mushrooms. Specially trained dogs are also used for this.

Preparing animals for such an activity takes considerable time, since they must not only find a place, but also carefully dig up valuable mushrooms without damaging them or the root of the tree.

This archaic harvesting practice gives truffles their special charm. The exclusivity of the product is also due to the fact that it cannot be obtained in any other way.

Despite the fact that they are trying to grow black truffles on farms, in particular in China, such a product still does not have those exceptional qualities inherent only in wild mushrooms collected in unique conditions using a special method. White truffles cannot be grown on farms at all.

How are they stored?

At the truffles short term shelf life, therefore, in order to appreciate the uniqueness of the taste, they should be tried fresh. Because of this, during the season, truffles are sold out quite quickly, restaurants often even start a race for the freshest mushrooms, and connoisseurs flock to Italy or France at this time to enjoy the rare local delicacy as soon as possible.

Despite this, truffles can still be stored for some time. Some people store them in oil to later use to complement other foods. They are also sometimes stored in rice, which later turns into a unique risotto. In addition, they can be frozen.

How they are prepared

Gourmets and cooks around the world agree that there are few foods that can match the taste experience of fresh truffle.

At the same time, unique mushrooms are universal in cooking; they can be used to prepare many dishes. But truffles show their best qualities with a neutral addition that does not overshadow their unique aroma.

Truffles are used as a filling, for sauces, added to rice dishes, eggs, and pastas, finely chopped on a special grater.

Recipe: Ravioli with ricotta and truffle

To prepare you will need:

300 g flour
- 150 g eggs (three small eggs)
- 300 g ricotta
- 50 g mint
- salt pepper
- 100 g grated pecorino cheese
- 80 g butter
- 15 g truffle

Cooking time: 30 min. Number of servings: 4

How to cook:

1. Knead the dough well, adding a little water to the flour and eggs. Roll out thinly and cut out circles with a mold (about 5 cm in diameter).

Use only fresh ingredients to prepare the dish. Garnish the ravioli with mint leaves and sprinkles olive oil extra-virgin

2. Combine ricotta (if it has moisture, let it drain well), pecorino, pepper and mint leaves. Spoon the filling onto the center of the dough circles and form ravioli (in the shape of a semicircle, like dumplings, but not so densely filled). Pinch the ravioli very well and place them on a floured plate. Boil salted water, place the ravioli in it and remove them as soon as they float. Let them drain well and serve immediately. butter and thin slices of truffle.

Material prepared using data from Time, askmen.com, Wafli.net

Join the community

The value of truffles lies in their unusual taste and aroma, which is why these mushrooms are considered a delicacy, and their cost on the market can reach several thousand dollars. Photos and descriptions of truffles will help you find them in the forest yourself.

Read today's article for a description and photo of the truffle mushroom, where it grows and how to look for it correctly.

What types of truffle mushrooms are there?

Note: Very often the size of one copy does not exceed the size walnut, but there are mushrooms the size of large potatoes and weighing more than one kilogram. Externally, it also resembles potatoes.

The peridium (outer layer) can have a smooth surface or be cut with a large number of different cracks, and there are also specimens with characteristic multifaceted warts. In the cross section, a pronounced marble structure is observed.

Picture 1. External features mushrooms

The pulp consists of inner and outer “wreaths”, which have dark and light shades. On the internal and external “veins” there are spore bags that have the most various forms. The species affects the color of the pulp, which can be white, black, gray or chocolate.

Kinds

The truffle family includes more than a hundred representatives of these famous mushrooms, which are classified according to their biological-geographical group and in terms of gastronomic value (black, white, red).

The most famous varieties are:

1. Black summer(Russian). This variety can reach a diameter of up to 10 cm and a weight of 0.4 kg. As he grows up, he may change color scheme from white to yellow or gray-brown. The consistency of the pulp in young specimens is very dense, while in older specimens it is loose. Representatives of the species have a sweetish, nutty taste with a slightly noticeable odor of algae. This species can be found in the following regions: Transcaucasia, Crimea, the European part of Russia and Europe. It can be found under oak, hazel and pine. Fruiting begins in June and lasts until early October.
2. Black Autumn Burgundy It has a round shape and can weigh up to 0.32 kg, but its size is no more than 8 cm. At maturity, the pulp is colored milk chocolate and is riddled with white veins. The taste can be distinguished by the aroma of cocoa, although Burgundy specimens have a bitter aftertaste.
3. Black winter endowed with an irregular spherical or spherical shape. The size of the fruiting bodies can be 8-20 cm and weigh up to 1.5 kg. The surface is covered with a red-violet hue, on which polygonal warts can be observed. They have a very pleasant musky aroma and can be found in moist soils under linden or hazel trees. Such amazing specimens can be found in France, Switzerland, Italy and Ukraine.
4. Black Perigord(French) has an irregular or slightly rounded shape. The outer peridium is covered with warts, which change color from red-brown to charcoal-dark as they mature. Among all known species this one is considered the most valuable because it has a pleasant taste and strong aroma.
5. White Piedmontese(Italian) is externally endowed with an irregular tuberous shape of fruiting bodies and in cross section can reach 12 cm. Very often there are specimens with a fruit weight of up to 300 grams, but sometimes you can find fruits weighing up to 1 kg. The peridium may be yellowish-red or brown in color. The pulp of the fruit is cream or white, but you can find specimens with a slight red tint. The variety differs from its relatives in its pleasant taste and aroma, reminiscent of garlic and cheese smells. This species grows exclusively in northern Italy.

Figure 2. The most popular types of mushrooms: 1 - black summer, 2 - black autumn (Burgundy), 3 - black winter, 4 - black Perigord, 5 - white Italian

We have provided photos and descriptions of only the main species (Figure 2), although in fact there are many more of them, and almost all of them are of high nutritional value.

Characteristic

Truffles grow exclusively below the soil surface in small groups. They can contain from 3 to 7 fruiting bodies, which have cartilaginous and fleshy pulp.

The range of locations of the families is very extensive and they can be found in the following regions: Europe, Asia, the USA and North Africa (Figure 3).

Regarding its widespread distribution, the following features can be distinguished:

• The mycelium of the Piedmontese variety can form a symbiosis with the roots of poplar, birch and linden.
• Perigord can be found in groves of beech, oak or hornbeam trees. It is mainly found in Spain, Switzerland and southern France.
• Black summer grows well in mixed or deciduous forests, as well as in calcareous soils.

Figure 3. Distribution of fungi in the natural environment

This species can be found in Central Europe, Black Sea coast Caucasus, Scandinavian countries and Ukraine. However, cases of finding this specimen in certain areas of Central Asia have been recorded.

Peculiarities

IN chemical composition there are no pronounced features. The fame of this mushroom is based on its aromatic properties, which are supposed to cause the awakening of certain feelings and desires.

Today they are the rarest and most expensive, since the demand for them is much higher than the supply. In the vastness of our country you can only find the black summer variety.

What does a truffle look like?

If you want to find these mushrooms in the forest, you definitely need to know what a truffle looks like (Figure 4). Externally, the shape of the fruiting bodies can be tuberous or round with a size of 2-10 cm. The peridium has a dark color range from bluish-black to brown-black. Pyramidal warts can often be observed on the surface, but there are species with a smooth peridium.

Figure 4. External features of truffles

The flesh of a mature specimen is loose, while that of a young specimen is dense. At the very beginning of growth, the flesh will be white and as the specimen matures it will acquire a brownish-yellow color. When cut, the light veins give it a marbled color. The pulp is sweetish in taste and nut-like, and the aroma is similar to the smell of algae.

The author of the video will tell you what a truffle looks like and where to look for it.

Main differences from other mushrooms

Truffles on the market are very expensive and the price for 1 kilogram of such a rare product starts from 400 euros. Such a high cost of this type is associated with such factors:

• Difficulty in growing;
• Seasonal production;
• High level of taste and aroma properties (quality) of the product.

The value of each unit is measured by its size: than larger specimen, the more expensive it costs. The most expensive are mushrooms with a large fruiting body (like an apple), but such specimens grow in less than 1% of the total world harvest. Walnut-sized specimens make up 10% of the harvest, and grape-sized specimens make up 30%. The remaining percentage is made up of very small mushrooms, and their cost is much less. Very small ones are used mainly for preparing a variety of sauces.

What does a white truffle look like?

Unlike the black variety, the white variety cannot be bred. The difficulty of cultivation is due to the fact that it grows in limited regions of Italy (Figure 5).

Note: Seasonal harvesting has made this variety a real gastronomic rarity. You can taste fresh mushrooms only during the harvest period, which occurs from October to January.

The cost of the white variety made it the most expensive delicacy in the world, surpassing the price of black caviar, foie gras and gold. For this reason, you can often find special auctions where you can purchase the most different kinds this expensive gastronomic product. The average price per kilogram is 3-4 thousand euros, and the most record price is 330 thousand dollars per piece weighing 1.5 kg. Such a large specimen was auctioned incognito in Hong Kong. The auction rules include a mandatory clause about providing a complete pedigree, which includes the following points:

• Exact weight of the specimen down to the gram;
• The name of the dog that found him;
• Indicate the location of the tree where it was found.

Figure 5. External features of the white Italian variety

Because of high cost and rarity, you can only see what a white truffle looks like in a photo or a specialized video.

Peculiarities

The pricing and strength of the aroma of white truffle makes it a dream for any culinary gourmet. Cooks never cook them in their pure form during cooking. Very often you can observe a situation in culinary dishes when they are added in the same proportion as herbs and other spices.

It is customary to serve them with minimal heat treatment, as this can weaken the delicate taste and aroma. The strong point of white mushrooms is the aroma of fresh mushrooms, so very often they are laid out in thin slices on an already prepared dish.

What does a black truffle look like?

The black (Périgord) variety is very similar in aroma to the white one, but its earthy and musky notes are weaker, and are often complemented by the smell of fresh hazelnuts. It is often added to culinary dishes during cooking (Figure 6).

Peculiarities

The black truffle is considered the most valuable specimen of this species, which very often grows in France. It has the second name Périgordsky, as this is due to the place where it grows.

Figure 6. Black truffles: features

A distinctive feature of this species is the special reddish-brown-black color of the peridium. The pulp is dark in color, and the smell is very characteristic and has a pleasant taste. This variety grows in winter and begins to be collected from January to March.

Today, many types of truffles have been identified that can be safely eaten without danger to health. However, there are many other fungi that, if they enter the human body, can cause digestive tract upset or cause severe intoxication of the body (Figure 7).

It is very easy to mistake a false truffle for a real culinary rarity. They may have external similarities, but at the same time belong to a different family. For example, deer grass grows in the wooded areas of Europe and North America and is not edible for humans, but animals eat it with great pleasure.

Figure 7. Appearance and characteristics of false truffle

Reindeer truffles can cause stomach upset, but at the same time, false truffles are deadly to human health. Externally, it has an oblong shape, dark red or beige color and belongs to the basidiomycetes family. Fruiting body poisonous mushroom can grow up to 10 cm in length and will have a characteristic bad smell. TO inedible species include tombolans (steppe truffles), which grow in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, North Africa and Southern Europe. However, among the tombolans there are also edible mushrooms.

A black diamond, the decoration of any table and a real delicacy in the world of mushrooms is the black truffle. It is highly valued by gourmets around the world, but not everyone can try it, since the cost of this delicacy is very high - 1 kilogram of truffle costs about 1000 euros! Why are people willing to pay through the nose just to taste this unusual mushroom? After reading the article, you will get acquainted with the description of truffle, find out where you can get it yourself, how to cook it correctly and what you eat it with.

Black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is also called Périgord or French. It belongs to the Truffle family, to the genus of marsupial fungi of the same name, numbering about 30 species. It got its name from the Périgord region, located in France. Edible and very tasty, highly valued by gourmets and mushroom fans, it is considered the most exquisite representative of the mushroom kingdom. It grows underground and for a long time was considered a generally inedible growth on the root of the host tree, similar to a tuber of earth. The structure is quite unusual compared to other mushrooms.

• the fruiting body is a modified apothecium, which is characteristic only of lichens and marsupial fungi. It is irregular or round, tuberous in shape, up to 9 cm in diameter, brown-red in color, changing over time to rich black (charcoal). If you press on the fruiting body, it will change color to reddish-rusty. Its entire surface is covered with small irregularities-warts, which can have up to 6 edges;
• The pulp (meat) is dense, hard, in young mushrooms it is light in color - from gray to brownish-pink, with age it turns dark to violet-black. If you cut a black truffle, you can see bizarre white and red patterns on the flesh, which are visible even in adult mushrooms. The taste of the meat is bitter, but pleasant, and the aroma is special and very strong;
• spores are oval or spindle-shaped, chocolate-colored spore powder.

Similar species and how to distinguish them from them

Sometimes the black truffle is confused with other species of the marsupial genus - summer and winter. The first differs from the hero of the article in that it has lighter flesh, and the second grows in the northern regions, unlike the black one.

Distribution and when to collect

The depth of truffles sometimes reaches 50 cm, which makes finding them very difficult for humans - which is why they are so expensive. The fungus prefers soils that are calcareous and not oversaturated with nutrients.

To try this mushroom, you will have to go to Europe. Although the Périgord truffle bears the name of an area in France, it is also common in other places and countries - it is collected in Spain and Italy and in the southwestern regions of France. The mushroom is also grown artificially in China.

The best time to hunt these truffles is from November to March. This mushroom is most often collected in the first months after the New Year.

Primary processing and preparation

Black truffles are famous throughout the world for their unique and unlike anything else taste. However, those who tried this delicacy for the first time sometimes do not immediately understand its charms. Therefore, connoisseurs always advise trying the mushroom at least twice. Truffle lovers say that they respect it most for its unique and unusual aroma, which contains notes of forest, chocolate or alcohol.

You can prepare a lot of different dishes from truffles. In its raw form, it is used as a seasoning, but more often during the cooking process the truffle is subjected to heat treatment. He reveals himself well taste qualities in egg dishes, added to pastas, goes well with rice.

The shelf life of these mushrooms is very short, and during the harvesting season of the delicacy, French restaurants very often organize real wars to be the first to buy truffles on the market and then prepare masterpieces of culinary art from them, which gourmets from all over the world come to try.

The truffle can be preserved for a short time: to keep it at least slightly edible, it is prepared using olive oil, frozen or stored in rice. You can also make a fragrant cream from this mushroom, which is eaten by spreading it on bread.

Search for truffles

To prepare a truffle, you first need to harvest it. This process is complex and requires serious preparation. They go hunting for mushrooms accompanied by specially trained dogs or pigs, who, thanks to their keen sense of smell, can smell a truffle even through a layer of soil. In this case, animals must not only discover its place of growth, but also carefully dig up the mushroom without damaging the roots of the tree or spoiling the fruiting body.

Another difficulty in finding and collecting truffles is that they grow singly, so big harvest When you find one mushroom, you shouldn’t hope.

Red flies, a swarm of which will hover over its habitat, also help to find the place where the truffle grows. The fact is that the larvae of these insects develop in fruiting bodies mushrooms

Truffles are also grown on farms. In this case, the mycelium is carefully planted and grafted onto the host tree artificially.

Special method of collection, difficulty of storage, extraordinary taste– all this makes truffle such an expensive delicacy that not everyone can easily afford to order it in a restaurant. But on occasion, you should spare no expense and still try dishes with these unusual mushrooms and try to understand why the French love him so much.