Where to look for truffles. Artificial cultivation of a mushroom. Animals for finding truffles

Among the many magnificent gifts of nature, a special place is occupied by the truffle mushroom, which has a unique taste and aroma. There is an opinion that those who have tried it at least once in their life never forget its specific smell. Behind the unsightly view lies an unsurpassed culinary masterpiece, which is admired by fans of exotic dishes. A close acquaintance with the mushroom will help to appreciate it.

The unsurpassed aroma of the product is a combination of the smells of fallen leaves, wet wood, soil and humus.

Experienced cooks admit that if you peel a lot of these mushrooms at a time, your head starts to hurt. But this is precisely its main feature.

General description of the mysterious delicacy

By appearance the fungus resembles a potato and comes in different sizes. Some are slightly larger than a nut, others are real giants that weigh more than 1 kilogram. The top layer of the product can be smooth, porous or with numerous growths.
Inside the truffle, the mushroom is filled with the so-called veins of light and dark tones, on which spores of various configurations are located. The section of the product is distinguished by a clear marble pattern in white, gray, chocolate or black. This is due to the variety of exotic fruit species.

Truffle mushroom is used by cooks to prepare various dishes. Pates, delicate sauces, fragrant stuffing for pies. An exquisite addition to meat and fish dishes. Often canned, frozen or served as an independent culinary masterpiece.

Looking for your favorite variety

AT natural environment there are a huge number of species of such mushrooms. The following varieties are considered the most popular.

Tuber aestivum

Often it is called - Russian truffle. It is found on the territory of the European part of Russia, in the Crimea, in the Transcaucasus. Grows at the roots of oak, evergreen pine and hazel bushes. It is considered a summer species, since the first specimens appear in June and continue to grow until mid-autumn.

Each individual fruit can weigh 400 grams with an average diameter of 10 cm. Age is determined by color scheme pulp:

• white;
• yellowish;
• with a brown tint;
• grayish tint.

The age of the truffle is determined by the internal consistency of the cut of the fruit. Young specimens have a dense mass, old mushrooms are loose. The taste is reminiscent of a sweet nut. The aroma contains notes of algae. A truly unique product!

The autumn version of the mysterious mushroom is black. The chocolate-colored flesh is filled with white veins. The shape is round. The diameter of the mushroom ball is 8 cm. The weight is not less than 320 grams. The product smells like cocoa, and tastes bitter.

The warty truffle is cultivated in many parts of the world. It is considered a winter species, since it begins to bear fruit in early winter and ends in spring. It is one of the most valuable products, which is often called the "black diamond". Despite this, you can buy truffle mushrooms in specialized stores. outlets and taste its excellent taste.

The highlight of the fetus is multifaceted warts. They are red-brown in color when the fungus is young enough and turn black in old age. The flesh is usually light with a delicate pink tint. Over time, it acquires a brown or dark purple color, which indicates age. Strong aroma and pleasant taste tempt true culinary specialists to cook from them. original dishes to the holiday table.

white truffle mushroom has irregular shape fruit and comes in the following colors:

• yellow;
• red;
• brown.

It weighs an average of about 300 grams. Some options reach the kilogram mark, which is even hard to imagine. The product has an original aroma, reminiscent of a combination of garlic and cheese. It grows in northern Italy.

The brilliant red truffle impresses with its unusual smell, which reflects the notes of such products:

• pear;
• coconut;
• Sweet wine.

Grows in conifers and deciduous forests. The first fruits in May, the last - in August. The size is only 3 cm, weight - up to 45 grams. Despite this, it is used as an original product for fastidious gourmets.

Habitat in nature

Perhaps someone will think: since this delicacy is so expensive, can they try to find it on their own in the nearest forest? Getting to know where the truffle mushroom grows gives the answer to the question asked.

The habitat of the product captures the following countries:

• Europe;
• Asia;
• America;
• Northern part of Africa.

Interestingly, the fungus loves the roots of various trees. For example, truffle, which grows in Italy, is found near the trunks of birches, lindens and poplars. Black specimens of the Perigord species grow at the foot of oak, beech and hornbeam. Summer options are found in mixed forests Ukraine. Winter varieties are found in small groves and mountain forests, where majestic cedars, oaks and pines grow.

On the territory of Russia you can also find various options mushroom:

• winter variety;
• summer black;
• white truffle, often called golden.

Interestingly, the golden mushroom species is found in at least seven regions of Russia, including the Moscow and Leningrad regions. If someone is lucky enough to find the most expensive mushroom in the world and skillfully cook it, then he happy man. In other cases, it is easier to buy a truffle in a store.

To find such a mushroom in the forest, it is better to focus on places where the vegetation seems stunted and not fresh. The soil near it has a gray or ashy hue.

Artificial mushroom cultivation

In the natural environment, the truffle spreads thanks to the forest animals that feed on it. Together with feces, spores fall to the ground near the roots of trees, where they successfully take root. However, in many countries, the artificial cultivation of such mushrooms is practiced. Mostly they are black.

To breed a truffle mushroom, the following factors must be considered:

• temperate climate;
• suitable types of trees;
• unique composition of the soil.

To achieve this goal, artificial green massifs of oaks are created. In some cases, the roots of young seedlings are specially infected with truffle spores so that they develop successfully on them. As you can see, the process of growing an exotic product requires a lot of effort and time. Therefore, only experienced specialists are engaged in this business.

The fungus contains many useful elements contributing to the strengthening of the human body. Taking it in food, even occasionally, you can forget about emotional disorders and other diseases for a long time. It is practically harmless and does not cause food allergies.

Video about collecting truffles in the forest

Cooking truffle mushroom - video

Truffle is a very capricious mushroom in relation to conditions environment, for its formation requires warm and humid weather with heavy rainfall. Most often found in warm areas temperate zone- in Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, in the southern regions of Germany, as well as in middle lane European part of Russia. Outside of Europe, they can be found in California and North Africa.

These mushrooms grow next to certain higher plants. Black truffles are found in forests with plus-bearing trees - hazel, oak, hornbeam and beech. The special type of soil characteristic of the growth of such trees creates favorable conditions for these mushrooms. White truffle grows in deciduous foxes with birch, poplar, rowan, willow and hawthorn, sometimes it can be found next to juniper or pine.

Reproduction is a complex and lengthy process that depends on the behavior of wild animals, they eat it and spread spores. Animals are attracted by the rich specific aroma characteristic of this fungus.

Truffles collection

When ripe, the truffle raises the soil a little, for pickers this is a sign of the presence of mushrooms. The nests grow and expand every year, if the mycelium is not disturbed, then in these places you can expect a harvest next year.

The difficulties that accompany the collection of truffles make these mushrooms a very expensive and valuable product. The season starts at the end of September and lasts until the end of March, the winter truffle can only be harvested from November to December. The process is complicated by the fact that mushrooms often grow one at a time, while large specimens are very rare, the bulk are small ones. However, the size of the truffle does not affect its taste.

Night is considered the best time for collecting, it is at this time that it is easiest to feel the aroma of the mushroom. Pigs and specially trained dogs can be faithful helpers in this process, they are able to catch the smell of truffles. Due to the deterioration of the ecological situation, the yield decreases every year, and artificial truffles are a troublesome and lengthy process, it does not always bring the desired results. AT last years truffle began to be cultivated in China, but in terms of its taste, it is much inferior to real mushrooms growing in the forest.

Truffle is rare and expensive, which grows at the roots of trees underground. Some of its varieties are also found on the territory of certain regions of Russia, although it is very difficult to find this valuable mushroom due to its growing conditions. But luck can smile at the mushroom picker during a “quiet” hunt. Therefore, it does not hurt at all to look at the photo of what the truffle looks like and find out at what time of the year it is harvested.

Truffle grows underground, forming a close symbiosis with the roots of certain tree species. Its appearance is quite unsightly, somewhat reminiscent of Jerusalem artichoke tubers. The surface of these fungi can be smooth, furrowed or warty-tuberous. In color, depending on the species, they are different: black, white, reddish-brown. Usually grow in a family of several fruiting bodies. Mushrooms the size of a nut or a grape are more common. But they can be the size of a large apple and even more.

There are more than a hundred varieties of the mushroom, some of which are inedible. And to those who have the greatest nutritional value include the following types of truffles:

• Black - its other name is "perigorsky". Considered one of the most valuable species truffles, found mainly in France. Characterized by brownish-black coloration, exquisite aroma, excellent taste, harvested in winter.
• Winter - one of the varieties of black truffles. It grows mainly in France, as well as in Switzerland. May also be found in other places. Ripening time - from November to March.

There are many varieties of truffle

• Italian or Piedmontese - refers to the white varieties, one of the most expensive.
• White - in appearance resembles potato tubers, is rare, refers to edible mushrooms 4 categories.
• Summer - they also call it black Russian. It is considered a delicacy, although not the most valuable among the black varieties.

There are others edible varieties this valuable mushroom. species composition very wide. They are found on almost all continents, they prefer loose soils of calcareous or ferruginous type. All truffles grow underground at a depth of about 15-20 cm from the surface. More often they form a symbiosis with the root system of deciduous trees: oaks, beeches, hornbeams, birches, hazels. Much less often, truffles settle in coniferous forests under pines, fir or juniper.

What kind of truffles grow in Russia

The two main varieties of these mushrooms from those that are found on the territory of our country are:

1. Black summer truffle (or Russian).
2. White truffle.

Black summer truffle can be found on Black Sea coast Russia near the Caucasus and in the suburbs of Sochi, as well as on the territory of the Crimean peninsula. It grows mostly in deciduous and mixed forests. Almost never found in coniferous forests. Can be found under the roots of oak, beech, hornbeam. They also grow in symbiosis with the root system of hazel and pine.

summer truffle

White truffle is found in a number of central regions of our country. They can be found in the Tula, Orel, Vladimir, Smolensk regions, as well as in the middle Volga region. Occasionally they are found in the Moscow region and even in Leningrad region. They prefer to settle under oaks, they can grow in the roots of trees of other hardwoods. In addition to these varieties, in our country occasionally there are others. Black winter truffles are found in the mountainous Crimea, and red truffles are found in some places in Siberia.

Attention! If you are lucky enough to find any of the varieties of truffles in the forest, you need to dig them out of the ground very carefully, otherwise you can damage the mycelium and root system tree.

Truffle harvesting: when and how it happens

Black summer or Russian truffle grows quite close to the surface of the earth. The season for collecting this variety of mushrooms falls on summer time and the very beginning of autumn. The ripening of black winter truffles falls on January-March. And white truffles ripen from mid-autumn to early winter. The collection of mushrooms of this variety is carried out mainly in the second half of October.

white truffle

It is extremely difficult to search for truffles because of their secretive location. Finding them on your own without proper training is almost impossible. Sometimes mushrooms can appear above the ground, but, as a rule, at this time they already become inedible. The search for mushrooms can be done with the help of animals specially trained for this purpose - dogs or pigs, which look for truffles by smell. Some especially experienced mushroom pickers find truffles by some signs. In the location of the mushrooms, vegetation is usually stunted, and the soil in such areas is of an ash-grayish hue.

Advice. Above the ground in the place where these mushrooms grow, you can usually see a swarm of midges. This feature is often used by experienced mushroom pickers when pinpointing the exact location of truffles.

Finding truffles is a difficult task even for an experienced mushroom picker. Only some of them are still lucky, and they manage to find such valuable trophy. And the difficulties in the search are fully justified by the exquisite taste and value of these mushrooms.

Russian truffle: video

It is called "black diamond". It has no equal in price and taste. But not all gourmets can afford this expensive delicacy. Most Ukrainians know him only from films about French cuisine or cooking shows. Even experienced mushroom pickers do not know what this mysterious mushroom looks like - a truffle.

What is it?

Pigs can smell prey 20–25 m away, but they destroy the top layer and often eat the find. Therefore, dogs are more often preferred, although they need to be trained longer. You can do without these helpers, focusing on the red flies that lay their eggs near truffle tubers and swarm over this place.

Can it be grown at home?

The question of whether it is possible to grow a truffle on your own at home is relevant today for two reasons. Firstly, these are prohibitively high prices for this delicacy product: from 1,000 hryvnias to several thousand euros per kilogram. Secondly, in Ukraine, the truffle is listed in the Red Book, which means that collecting it in wild nature and selling in our country is prohibited.

white truffles cannot be bred artificially. In contrast, black species are already long time cultivated in Europe and China. Therefore, creating the necessary conditions, you can get a truffle harvest at home.

Did you know? Although truffles were first eaten in France, their cultivation began in the southern part of Russian Empire even under Peter I. The landowners grew them and sold them to the French, and they learned this much later.

Growing conditions

Growing truffles can be successful at home as well. This requires a suitable climate, and a tree that loves.

Climate

This condition matters not so much for mushrooms as for the host tree, for example, for. continental climate Ukraine is favorable in this regard: it is quite warm and humid. Desirable summer temperature - 22 °С.

Soil preparation

1. should be sandy-clay, rich in minerals such as, and.
2. The soil needs to be fertilized.
3. The earth should be cleared of stones and loosened.
4. There should not be other myceliums in the chosen place, they will compete with each other.
5. should not be lower than 7.5.

Australian cultivation technology

Australians know what and how to do to grow fragrant truffles at home. Their technology has been the most successful ever since 1995. In a year, 1 hectare will yield a crop of 4 kg, and in 5-6 years - up to 20 kg.

This method has been successful for more than 20 years in Australia, where truffles have never been found, and in other countries. Moreover, it will be effective in Ukraine, where mushrooms already grow in the wild. Of course, material costs and constant efforts are required, especially in the early years. But then everything will more than pay off, given the current cost of mushrooms.

Infection

To get infected, you need to buy black truffle mycelium and process them with seedlings. They are left for a couple of weeks in sterile conditions, giving the mycelium the opportunity to take root. After that, seedlings are planted in a plot with prepared soil. Finally, mycorrhiza takes root within a year, until the sprouts reach 20 cm in height, and the roots - 50 cm in length. All this time you need to adhere to quarantine.

Planting seedlings

Seedlings infected with truffle mycelium can be planted in open ground late spring. The soil must be pre-cultivated with ammonium glufosinate(it quickly decomposes in the ground).

Each seedling should have enough space, no more than 500 pieces per hectare. It is advisable to adhere to the scheme - 5 by 4 m. The depth of the hole is at least 75 cm, so the root of the tree will be protected from frost and water is poured into the hole, the sprout is covered with earth, compacted and watered again. Under each plant, they pour from forest land with last year's leaves within a radius of 40 cm and cover this area.

Truffle is a mushroom of the marsupial genus, order Peziziales with underground tuberous fleshy fruit bodies. There is an opinion that after tasting a truffle only once, its taste and aroma will be remembered for a lifetime. Photo and description of truffles, perhaps, will make someone doubt his palatability, but believe me - behind the unsightly appearance lies a real masterpiece, the dream of culinary specialists from all over the world. Where truffles grow, what a truffle looks like, and where their history comes from, you will find out on this page.

The best restaurants in Piedmont late autumn they serve “truffle menus”: for 180 euros (with 6-7 servings from antipasti to desserts) you can get an exhaustive idea of ​​​​what this most expensive mushroom in the world is so famous for. Of course, tourists also have the opportunity to take part in a night truffle hunt, and then buy the found mushrooms from the trifolau.

Truffle is a mysterious mushroom. History of truffles

Truffle is a mysterious mushroom, so far it has not been possible to figure out exactly how it grows. How many types of truffles exist in the world is also not known for certain. But it is known for sure that the truffle is the most delicious mushroom in the world, and of all truffles, the best is the white truffle from Alba, in Piedmont. The white truffle season falls on October-December, and at this time Piedmont becomes the main point in the travel program of true gourmets.

The famous French chef of the 19th century, Jean-Anselme Brillat-Savarin, devoted a separate chapter to the truffle in his celebrated book The Physiology of Taste (1825), describing how he experimentally tested whether the truffle was an aphrodisiac. He called it "the diamond of the kitchen." In those days, truffles (black, not to mention white) were a rarity in Paris, they were served only in the restaurants of the Hotel des Americans and Hotel de Provence, as well as in the homes of wealthy aristocrats. History of truffles grown artificially, began in the 19th century, when the French learned to grow black truffles and planted "truffle forests" in almost all regions. Then "diamonds" became quite affordable even for ordinary Frenchmen for festive table. However, the First World War, when fighting were carried out just in the truffle territories, as well as the subsequent deforestation and the use chemical fertilizers throughout the 20th century had a very negative impact on the European truffle. Only in Perigord before the First World War they collected about 1000 tons per year, and now the entire French harvest does not exceed 20 tons. The situation in Italy is not much better.

How to grow a truffle

In order for a mushroom to grow, three factors need to coincide: the right soil, trees, and weather. Before growing a truffle, certain conditions must be created: the soil must be soft and rich in minerals, the climate must be warm and humid. Oak, poplar, cherry, hazelnut, linden and willow coexist best with truffle. The type of tree affects the taste and smell of truffles: mushrooms grown under the canopy of oak have the most powerful aroma.

The secret of black truffle breeding has now been restored, but the activity is still best suited to people with a very philosophical mindset. After all, you must first find a suitable forest with the right climate and soil, plant truffle spores there, and then patiently wait to see if anything will come of it or not. To be honest, the percentage of failures so far is such that, for the price, bred truffles are about the same as wild ones.

White truffle - the most expensive delicacy in the world

The white truffle, unlike the black one, cannot be bred. And since it grows in very limited areas (truffles in Piedmont are harvested only in Langhe, some areas of Monferrato and Roerot and in the hills around Turin), its price is a logical consequence of very little supply and high demand. So what is it that attracts connoisseurs from all over the world so much?

Gioachino Rossini, a great lover of white truffle, called it “Mozart among mushrooms” and recalled that “I cried only three times in my life: when my first opera failed, when I first heard Paganini play, and when a turkey stuffed with white truffles fell over side of the boat during a picnic on the water. White truffle - the most refined and most fragrant. Its fans often say that they "eat the smell" because the powerful aroma and taste are so tightly and intricately intertwined that it is almost impossible to separate one from the other.

Another property of the white truffle, which contributed to its transformation into a gastronomic rarity, is seasonality. You can try this mushroom only from October to January. Of course, at other times of the year, restaurateurs can offer you dishes with white truffles, where mushrooms canned in one way or another will be used, but a fresh truffle and its fellow in a tin can differ just like an aria performed by Caruso from an aria sung by a neighbor. Therefore, in autumn, white truffle - uncrowned king Albs.

According to the law, you can collect white truffles from September 15 to January 31, but mushrooms reach their peak quality in November-December. This period is the most intense in the life of trifolao (truffle pickers). They wait until the night to go "hunting" with specially trained dogs (piedmont does not resort to the help of pigs, because they often eat the mushrooms they find). Gathering is organized at night for several reasons: firstly, the night air is colder and cleaner, so dogs smell better, and secondly, reserved places each trifolau is its know-how, which should be hidden from competitors if possible, and thirdly, it is easier to hear an approaching intruder at night (attacks on trifolau are not so rare - too expensive goods are put into their pockets). By the way, in order not to shine, trifolau even try to choose dogs with dark hair, and they drive up to the hunting place on a bicycle, leaving the car several kilometers away to confuse the pursuers.

The white truffle is the most expensive delicacy in the world, easily priced not only black caviar and foie gras, but even gold (if you calculate the cost per gram of the product). Therefore, it is not surprising that such rarities are sold at auctions. The first truffle markets (Fiera del Tartufo) began to be held in Alba back in the 1930s, later they were supplemented by truffle auctions, where the chefs of the most famous European restaurants are desperately bargaining for the best specimens. Chefs can be understood - after paying a hefty amount for the purchase, dishes with truffles can then be sold for a price that covers all costs.

The average price of a white truffle is 3,000-4,000 euros per kg, and the record price is $330,000 per unique mushroom weighing 1.5 kg, bought incognito from Hong Kong in 2007 at a traditional charity auction, which is held in Alba in November with broadcast to London and Hong Kong. Auction rules are the same everywhere: mushrooms must be presented with a complete "pedigree" (indication of weight up to a gram, the name of the dog that found it and an indication of the tree under which it was found).

In addition to auctions, where chefs and owners of the best restaurants are invited by invitation, there are also truffle markets in Piedmont, where they sell both the mushrooms themselves and their derivative products (truffle oil, pates). It looks like this: trifolaou are talking serenely among themselves, discussing the weather and the intricacies of dog training. The counters are empty, not a single mushroom on them. When a buyer approaches, the trifolau waits for him to express his wishes, and then begins to take truffles neatly wrapped in handkerchiefs or napkins from his pockets. The "show" starts with the smallest ones, as the larger ones are reserved for regular customers or the richest tourists who can pay more.

The price and strength of the white truffle aroma puts it in a borderline culinary position. No cook in the world prepares pure truffles, and often the amount of truffles in a dish is comparable to the volumes in which herbs and spices are used. In addition, white truffles are usually subjected to minimal heat treatment, which weakens the more delicate aromas and tastes than black truffles. And since the aroma of white truffles is strongest when they are just cut, they are usually just laid out in freshly cut thin slices on ready meal. In Piedmont, this is most often done with risotto, local tagliatelle pasta, scrambled eggs and carpaccio. Pasta, eggs, white meats (chicken, turkey and quail), risotto, parmesan and romano cheeses, slightly bitter salads (such as frisee), bresaola and prosciutto, potatoes and boar meat are considered the best companions of white truffles.

Black (perigord) truffle

The black (perigord) truffle has a similar aroma to the white one, only the earthy and musky notes are weaker in it and are often complemented by a smell suggestive of very fresh hazelnuts. In addition, black truffles are often added during cooking, and all this together shifts the spectrum of suitable wines more towards full-bodied whites, not too long aged in oak. Aged white burgundy is certainly a win-win option, white Rhone based on Roussanne and Marsanne will turn out to be no less good, especially the five-seven-year-old Hermitage Blanc.

Truffles

In total, about 70 varieties of truffles are known, but less than ten have at least some culinary significance. The most popular truffles - black Perigord and white - have become so not only because of the richest taste (in this parameter, Burgundy and musky are comparable to them), but also because they give the largest specimens: the average black winter truffle is usually three times more than summer. With the difficulty of collecting even artificially bred mushrooms, this parameter becomes of great importance.

Choice of wine for truffles