Truffle, what is it, description and photo, features of the mushroom, interesting facts

To begin with, let's say that truffle is one of the most expensive products, its cost is about 2000 - 5000 dollars per kilogram.

Of course, finding out what a truffle is, and at the same time understanding the reasons for its, to put it mildly, exorbitant price will be quite interesting.

Content:

• What is a truffle, what does it look like in the photo
• Truffle: description, where and when it grows
• How Italian summer and black truffles are collected
• Storage options
• How is truffle used in cooking, truffle oil
• What is the benefit of the product
• Interesting Facts

What is a truffle, what does it look like in the photo

Truffles, as Wikipedia points out, are a type of mushroom that has marsupial, tuberous fruits. They are classified as gourmet products. A special feature is that the development of fleshy tuberous fruiting bodies occurs underground.

It is impossible to see them with the naked eye, because... some specimens hide very deep into the ground, up to 40 cm. Therefore, the search process is quite complicated.

They are distinguished by a characteristic round shape, the size in diameter is from 4 to 10 cm. On the outside, the mushroom is leathery, can be smooth or covered with polyhedral warts.

The section of the fruiting body has a marble pattern, with an alternating arrangement of light and dark veins.

There are many varieties of truffles, but the most expensive of them are:
black, native to the south of France, in the county of Périgord
white, which is collected in Italy, in the administrative regions of Umbria and Piermont.

White Italian truffles are considered more expensive and valuable among mushroom pickers and gourmets. In the photo they look a little like Jerusalem artichoke, their skin has a rich brown tint, the cut is light, cut with reddish veins.

The aroma of white truffles is somewhat more refined and more pronounced.

Sometimes you can come across a saying that the smell of truffles resembles roasted sunflower seeds, and also real Swiss chocolate.

A person who tries mushrooms for the first time cannot always definitely say his opinion whether he liked the product or not, but several samples definitely turn him into an avid fan who, in order to enjoy the delicacy, will go to the place of its collection during the season and enjoy tastings fresh product is a real pleasure.

The yield of truffles varies every year, but high-quality mushrooms always have a high price. In case of a bad harvest, prices can increase several times.

In general, the cost of this product is due to its narrow distribution area, difficulties in finding and storing, and refined taste and aromatic qualities.

In addition, the mushroom picking season is very short, white truffles are collected only in late autumn, black ones - from November to early March.

What is a truffle, what determines its cost, watch the video:

Where and when does truffle grow?

Black truffles, summer, French, grow in birch and oak forests, in close proximity to trees.

In the photo they look like black-brown potatoes; when cut they have shades from brown to red.

A special difference is an extremely strong, persistent aroma, taste - slightly reminiscent of nuts.

Features of search and collection

Mushroom picking is a rather complicated procedure; it requires the mushroom picker to have special knowledge of the matter, preparation, and accuracy. The fact is that each truffle grows separately, and it should be removed from the root of the tree without any damage.

To search for the delicious mushroom, trained dogs and pigs are used, i.e. animals with a very sensitive sense of smell. Again, training bloodhounds is quite difficult, because... Their tasks include not only searching for the next specimen, but also digging it up, while both mushrooms and roots must retain their appearance.

Of course, everything is very complicated, but other options for obtaining the delicacy have not yet been invented.

Chinese entrepreneurs are trying to organize the cultivation of truffles on farms, but in this case the exceptional characteristics of the mushrooms are lost, and the cultivation of only black truffles turned out to be effective; white truffles are more problematic to grow on a farm.

Let's watch a video with recommendations for growing truffles on your own plot or in a greenhouse:

Storage options

The shelf life of the product is relatively short. You can truly appreciate the taste and aroma only when tasting a freshly picked mushroom. For this reason, the truffle trade is very active during the harvest season, with restaurants literally chasing the freshest product.

True connoisseurs of mushrooms make pilgrimages to France and Italy in order to enjoy this fresh delicacy.

If we talk about long-term storage, then there are recipes when mushrooms are filled with oil and then used as seasonings for other dishes.

The storage option in rice is attractive because the rice is subsequently used to prepare risotto of amazing taste. But the mushrooms themselves, being surrounded by a dry product, lose weight quite quickly.

They also use a freezing procedure in low-temperature chambers.

How is truffle used in cooking?

Culinary experts all over the world claim that very few products can compare in originality of taste and aroma with truffles.

The product is considered universal; it is used to prepare many dishes. The quality characteristics are most clearly manifested when using a supplement that is neutral in taste and smell.

Use fresh truffle to prepare:

• fillings
• sauces
• rice dishes
• pasta.

Before consumption, mushrooms can be heat treated, but some true admirers eat them raw.

To make the story complete, you should remember what truffle oil is and how it is prepared. This is the name given to olive oil infused with fresh truffle shavings.

The oil, naturally, is chosen to be of the highest quality and most expensive, and the mushrooms are exclusively fresh. Before adding oil, chop the mushrooms into thin chips.

One serving of a dish with truffle contains from 3 - 5 to 8 g of mushroom. Quite a bit, but even this amount can radically change the taste and aroma of the usual complementary products.

It is customary to serve such dishes with champagne, red and white wines; they are perfectly complemented by creamy sauce.

What is the benefit of the product

Truffles are not only original and tasty, they contain many substances beneficial to humans:

• vitamins B 1 and B 2, ascorbic acid, vitamin PP
• substances with antioxidant effects
• they are a strong aphrodisiac because... contain a large amount of pheromones, even the smell causes increased sensitivity and emotionality in a person.

Cosmetologists confirm the effectiveness of the extract obtained from the body of the truffle: it smooths out wrinkles, makes the skin more toned, and removes cellulite.

Historians confirm that famous people all over the world hunted this mushroom: Napoleon and Dumas, Balzac and Casanova.

Interesting Facts

Firstly, the very fact of their origin is mysterious; in the Middle Ages they were considered magical and, however, quite deservedly, were attributed healing properties.

For a long time it was believed that it was impossible to grow mushrooms under artificially created conditions. Then, nevertheless, the attempts became more successful, but the capricious plant requires a certain soil.

Naturally, mushrooms grown in the wild are valued much higher.

Mushrooms are characterized by unstable yields, which are determined by weather conditions. The most favorite habitats of truffles are oak, beech or birch trees.

Truffle plantations can produce high yields for 2-3 decades, then they quickly decline. In general, there is a tendency towards a decrease in truffle production volumes. And because of this, the price for them increases every year. The most expensive ones are those grown in Alba.

The largest of the mushrooms was found in Italy, its weight reached 2.5 kg.

There have been recorded cases where a 750 gram mushroom was sold at auction for 100 thousand dollars.