Truffle is one of the greatest delicacies in the world. The famous French culinary specialist, gourmet and philosopher Brillat-Savarin called these mushrooms “gastronomic diamonds”, and believe me, the prices for a fragrant delicate truffle are in no way inferior to the prices for sparkling stones.
Truffle history
Plump, tuber-like mushrooms with a characteristic odor began to be eaten in Babylon and Ancient Egypt. The Greeks believed that the truffle originated where the furious lightning of Zeus would penetrate the moist flesh of the earth-Gaia and endowed mushrooms with not only gastronomic properties, but also considered them an aphrodisiac. Truffles were first described by Aristotle's student, Theophrastus, in his treatise "History of Plants". The famous ancient Roman physician Galen spoke about their medicinal properties. Legendary gourmet Mark Apicius included truffle recipes in the 6th book of his essay, consisting of recipes for extremely expensive gourmet dishes.
After the fall of pampered Rome, truffles fell into oblivion. In the Middle Ages, only wild animals feasted on these mushrooms, and sometimes they were put into a common cauldron by very starving peasants.
However, the Renaissance also brought the truffle back to life. It is believed that with its return to the world of haute cuisine, the delicious mushroom owes to the resettlement of the papal throne from Italian Rome to French Avignon, from which it was a stone's throw to the famous Perigord - the place where the most valuable specimens of aromatic mushrooms grew. It is not known how the forgotten delicacy got to the pontiff's table, but it is known that soon all other ministers of the Catholic Church, except for the highest ranks, were forbidden to eat truffles "in order to avoid carnal temptations." Since then, truffles have firmly taken their place among gourmet dishes.
The famous gourmet, composer Giacomo Rossini called truffles "Mozart among mushrooms", writer Alexander Dumas, not alien to culinary joys, called them "Holy of Holies" of gourmet cuisine, and Lord Byron kept a fresh mushroom in his table to breathe in its aroma for inspiration.
How truffles are searched
Truffles grow throughout European territory, choosing hidden places among the roots of trees such as chestnut, beech, oak, hazel, fir, poplar and linden. Depending on the soil, the mushroom, which looks like a large, cracked tuber, will be either flat, round if it grows in soft sand, or knobby if the soil is harder.
Truffle not only loves shade, but also prefers to "bury" deeper. Some specimens are able to go deep into the ground for a meter. How are these mushrooms found? By smell. A ripe mushroom begins to emit a specific smell that attracts some animals. Small rodents and other wild animals dig up the ground in search of mushrooms and thus spread its spores, but this method is not suitable for people, because after animals there is nothing for people to catch. That is why truffle hunters have looked for ways to find mushrooms before voracious forest trifles find them.
Initially, domestic pigs, exclusively female, were used to search for truffles. The fact is that the chemical composition of the aroma of a gourmet mushroom almost completely coincides with the attractant secreted by male pigs, and therefore irresistibly attracts female pigs. True, such a hunt has natural risks - a large pig can not only damage a delicate truffle, briskly digging it up with a piglet, but also, having reached the delicacy, strives to eat it.
After some time, people thought of using the owners of an unsurpassed scent - dogs - in the hunt for truffles. A well-trained dog can easily find a fragrant mushroom and will happily exchange information about the place of its growth for praise and an incentive prize. Hunting for precious mushrooms with special truffle hounds has even become a form of entertainment for aristocrats. In England, up to the thirties of the last century, there was a license to organize such fun, and it was issued to only one family.
However, if one day you are lucky enough to find a truffle, there is a high probability that the same mushroom will be waiting for you next year in the same place. Dig up the found truffle should be done with extreme caution - it is worth too much pressure and the mushroom will start to rot at the site of the "injury".
Truffle lovers prefer to “harvest” later, because only a ripe mushroom begins to emit the aroma, besides, if the goods are almost literally worth their weight in gold, who will not be interested in the weight being more? An average truffle weighs at least 100 grams, but some specimens reach a weight of 1.5-2 kilograms.
What are truffles
There are about 50 varieties of truffles, but three varieties have the greatest value: two are grown in Italy, and one in France. White truffles from the Alba region, located in French Piedmont, are rightfully called the "Queen of Alba". These are the most expensive mushrooms in the world. They have a soft beige flesh, dotted with white marble veins. Classic black truffles grow near the French town of Perigord. They are called "black diamonds" or "black pearl of poor lands". Italian truffles from Spoleto are also considered black, although their skin is actually dark brown, but, like all truffles, is speckled with marble veins.
Truffle price
The high cost of truffles is explained not only by their rarity, but also by the fact that they are collected only by hand. One hunter with a dog on a good day finds only a few mushrooms with a total weight of 300-400 grams. In Italy, according to the latest data, about 20,000 people are engaged in truffle hunting - a seasonal business, so not everyone is ready to choose it as a profession. Moreover, he requires certain skills, and a specially trained expensive dog.
The price of truffles depends on the type of mushroom and the harvest. In recent centuries, it has become smaller and smaller. So, if at the beginning of the 20th century in France, about 1000 tons of black truffles were annually harvested, then after 100 years this figure is only 40-50 tons per year.
Truffles are sold by weight, and the trick here is that, as soon as the mushroom is removed from the ground, it rapidly begins to lose moisture, and hence the same weight. And this is only half the trouble - the aroma of the truffle is also short-lived, it gradually weakens, and, naturally, buyers want only the freshest mushrooms, harvested no later than 2-3 days ago. Transporting the harvested truffles in such a short time also costs a lot of money.
The record price for truffles in 2016 is considered, after several dry seasons the price for mushrooms from Piedmont reached 400 euros per 100 grams. But the next year, when the land of Italy was irrigated with generous rains in the summer and the harvest grew at a record, the price fell by almost 50%.
Is it possible to cultivate truffles
For a long time, artificial cultivation of truffles was considered impossible. Moreover, the very origin of the fungus was called a "great secret", sometimes seriously wondering if the ancient Greek mystics were right. However, the entrepreneurs did not give up their attempts, because in case of success, the income was very tempting - the price of truffles stably remains extremely high. The first success was achieved at the beginning of the 19th century, and already in 1890 truffle farms in France yielded a harvest of several hundred tons. However, the First World War caused serious damage to truffle plantations, and during the Second World War many production secrets were lost. The art of truffle growing was revived again in the 90s of the last century. There are truffle plantations in the UK, Spain, Italy, South Africa, Japan, Australia and the USA.
But you shouldn't expect a drop in truffle prices. Although the step-by-step cultivation method is not a secret, it is not so simple. Firstly, in order to get the first harvest of mushrooms, it must take from 7 to 10 years. Secondly, in order to be sure that the harvest will be, a complete soil analysis should be carried out, confirming that there are no spores of other fungi on the plantation. In addition, the development of mycorrhiza should be analyzed every year. All of these tests are not cheap. In addition, the taste and aroma of cultivated truffles is much inferior to wild mushrooms.
How to choose and store truffles
Truffle is prized for its aroma, which is described as "a combination of musk, nuts and ozone." The characteristic odor appears in mature mushrooms and increases over time. Young mushrooms have a pink skin, over time it becomes either beige in white truffles, or dark brown in black ones. The pulp of the mushroom also depends on the variety - it is either light brown or dark gray with white veins.
Truffles are stored for up to 14 days. Since moisture is the mushroom's worst enemy, wrap it in a kitchen paper towel and put it in a container with an airtight lid, then refrigerate it in the fruit and vegetable storage area. The towel must be changed every day.
Truffles are often stored by professionals in rice. This cereal has excellent absorption properties. It absorbs and retains the smell perfectly, and after you cook the mushroom, you are left with flavored rice. Eggs have the same property - the smell penetrates through the porous shell along with moisture. Place the mushrooms and eggs in a container with an airtight lid and in 2-3 days you can make your original scrambled eggs.
To preserve the truffles for a long time at home, the mushrooms should be frozen. To do this, they are wrapped in foil and put into a bag with a zip-lock fastener or poured with melted butter and placed in the freezer.
How to cook truffles
Truffles are used very sparingly, not only because they are expensive, but also because their taste and aroma are intense enough. One serving usually takes no more than 8-10 grams of truffles. The mushrooms are carefully peeled with a soft brush and cut into thin, almost transparent pieces with a mandolin or grated.
Truffles are added to salads, soups, sauces, soufflés, pastas, risottos, mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, pâtés, game dishes, veal and poultry. They are used to flavor oil, cheeses, salt and honey. Thin pieces of truffle are placed under the skin of the birds and left for several hours to soak in the meat. White truffles are never cooked, black mushrooms can withstand quick, short heating.
