Truffle (Latin - Tuber) is a unique edible mushroom represented by the Truffle genus of the Peziziales order. It is distinguished by its original appearance and unusual taste. Therefore, many will be able to appreciate it.

Description

Fruit bodies are round or tuberous in shape. They can reach from 2.5 to 10 cm. Their surface has a dark color - they have a blue-black or brownish-black hue. There are often warts on the surface, however, truffles with a flat surface also come across.
The flesh of the truffle is firm. And when the marsupial mushroom reaches maturity, it becomes loose. It can be whitish, and as it ages, it takes on a yellow-brown hue. There are veins on the cut, giving the mushroom a marbled color. The taste of the truffle pulp is sweet, it vaguely resembles a nut. The aroma of the mushroom is pleasant, it is very similar to the smell of algae.

Varieties of truffles

Mushroom truffles are of the following types:

Summer. It can be found in central Europe and Russia. He is often called "black Russian". It is of little value. It grows in summer and September.

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

Mushroom white truffle. It is quite easy to find it in the northern regions of Italy, as well as in France. It is also called "Italian". The surface of such a truffle is brown, it has a light color. Inside, the mushroom is dense, whitish - it also has a marble pattern. The collection of this species is carried out in October.

Black truffle mushroom. This mushroom is the most valuable among truffles. It grows in France. Its color is reddish brown and the flesh is dark. It has a pleasant smell and taste. This truffle grows in winter and is harvested from January to March.

Winter truffle. It grows in France and Switzerland. It is also rare in Ukraine. The ripening period for this species is from November to March.

Where does it grow?

Truffle is an underground mushroom. It can often be found at shallow depths. And old truffles can appear on the surface. It grows in deciduous and mixed forests, loves calcareous soil. Truffles are often found under the roots of oaks, birches, hornbeams, and beeches.
This species became widespread in Central Europe. In Russia, it can be found in the Caucasus.

Who helps you find the truffle? The search for such mushrooms is often carried out by specially trained dogs and pigs. Yellow flies often fly over the areas where the truffle grows.

Mushroom truffles can be stored no more than 2-4 days after harvesting, which is why you can buy fresh truffles only during the harvesting period. These mushrooms cannot be bought in simple supermarkets. They can be purchased from dedicated departments and directly from suppliers.
Most often, truffles are purchased in small batches for restaurants. For longer storage, they can be preserved or frozen. Truffles are transported in special containers that are immersed in olive oil.

What is the value of truffles?

It is believed that it is not so easy to grow such expensive mushrooms, therefore the price for such a product is at a high level. The cost of 1 kg of quality truffles is around 400 euros. Such a delicacy is not available to everyone.

Main characteristic

The characteristic features of truffles include:
This tribe is a real delicacy.
They have a mushroom flavor mixed with the flavor of seeds and nuts. A truffle dipped in water is very similar to soy sauce.
The truffle has a strong characteristic odor.

Chemical composition

When eating truffle mushrooms, everyone gets:
Vitamins B1, B2, C, PP.
Proteins.
Carbohydrates.
Pheromones.
Minerals.
Antioxidants
Alimentary fiber.

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of truffle mushrooms include the following:
The presence of pheromones, which are part of mushrooms. They have an impact on the emotional state of a person.
This variety has a lot of antioxidants.
Truffle juice can cure eye disease.
A person with gout will have many benefits from consuming truffles.

Harm

Like other types of mushrooms, truffles can be harmful to the body. This can happen when:
Individual intolerance.
Digestive problems.

The use of truffles

Truffles are most widely used in cooking. The following information will be useful for every housewife:
When preparing a dish of truffles, one serving should contain from 5 to 8 grams of mushrooms. Weighing is done very carefully.
Truffle is often a simple addition to a main course. The mushroom is cut on a grater.
It goes well with foods that have no distinct flavor.
In French cuisine, truffles are combined with eggs, poultry, fruits and lobsters.
The mushroom can be served neat. But in order to give it even more flavor, it is worth presenting it with wine or creamy sauce.
Small truffles are often used to fill pies. They are also used to make truffle sauce.
Snails, caviar and other exotic dishes are decorated with truffle slices.

Truffle (Tuber) is a representative of marsupial mushrooms, as spores mature in special unicellular bags - askach. This is a very rare and expensive representative of the mushroom kingdom.

Summer truffle (black)

Features of the mushroom

Truffles are unusual, first of all, in that the fruit bodies are formed not on the ground, but inside it. Rounded or tuberous mushrooms have a fleshy and cartilaginous consistency. Their peculiarity is the marble pattern - the alternation of light and dark streaks on the cut. Light veins are called internal veins, and dark veins are called external veins. Spore sacs form on the internal veins and are also distributed by the nests in the fruiting body. Mushrooms grow to different sizes. They can be the size of a walnut or potato tuber.

Young mushrooms have a smooth whitish skin that turns yellow over time and becomes light brown. The surface is covered with various folds, cracks and hard "warts". The yellow-whitish dry pulp with numerous brownish veins-convolutions turns brown when heated, and acquires a chocolate tint.

Truffle is an edible mushroom of the first category with the best consumer and culinary qualities. They are most often used fresh for making aromatic soups, sauces and gravies.

Nutritional value

The calorie content of 100 g of the product is 24 kcal.

Chemical composition of a truffle:

  • proteins - 3 g;
  • carbohydrates - 2 g;
  • fats - 0.5 g;
  • dietary fiber - 1 g;
  • water - 90 g.

It also contains vitamins PP, C and B2, a small amount of B1, but there are practically no macro- and microelements in the composition.

Where do truffles grow and how do you collect them?

It is not easy to find a truffle in the forest; it hides well underground. Summer mushrooms are harvested in summer and autumn, with a peak in August - September. They go for winter species in February and look for them until March.

The fungus grows in deciduous, mixed European forests, less often in conifers, as well as on the African continent (in its northern part), Asia and America. He needs moderately moist clay-calcareous soils with an underdeveloped herbaceous cover, on which he forms mycorrhiza with roots of various tree species. Truffles usually grow in small groups of 7.


Experienced truffle hunters notice hidden mushrooms by insignificant external signs - raised soil and dried grass. In France, it is customary to look for them with the help of truffle flies, which lay the larvae in the ground near this mushroom. The flight of these insects, their large concentration indicates the close location of the truffles.

But not all of these "trackers" are, therefore, to search for a delicacy, trained animals have been used since ancient times, which are able to smell the peculiar smell of truffles at a distance of 20 m. start. In Italy, dogs are used for searches; poodles and mongrels are the best search engines. It is interesting that trained bears were looking for truffles near Moscow until the 1869s.

Truffle varieties

There are many varieties of mushrooms, here are the most common:

  • Italian truffle(Tuber magnatum), real or "Piedmont" - its area is Piedmont (region of Italy). It grows near birches, lindens, elms. This is the most expensive mushroom in the world. It is appreciated for its pleasant taste and cheese-garlic aroma.
  • French black(Tuber melanosporum), "Perigorsk" is found in groves where hornbeams, beeches and oaks grow. It is considered the second most valuable, second only to Italian. A red-brown or brown-black truffle with an angularly rounded shape, covered with large warts and small depressions. The pulp is colored reddish, later it turns purple. Its distinguishing feature is the multitude of white and black veins with a red border on the section of the mushroom. The mushroom has a bitter taste with a strong aroma.
  • Truffle black "burgundy"(Tuber uncinatum) - A variety of French black with a nutty aroma and chocolate flavor, native to all of Europe.
  • Summer truffle(Tuber aestivum), "black Russian" is recognized by the nutty taste and sweetish aroma of algae. It can be found on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, in the deciduous forests of the Scandinavian countries, Central Europe, Ukraine, in some areas of Central Asia. It ripens in the summer months.
  • Winter truffle(Tuber brumale) ripens in November - February. Hiding in the ground, it is not damaged by frost, but if somehow the mushroom is on the surface, then it freezes and loses all its taste. This happens even with the smallest frost. It grows in Switzerland, Italy and France, in the mountains of Crimea. The young mushroom has a reddish-purple color, the mature mushroom becomes almost black and grows overgrown with many small warts. The ash gray flesh has white veins and a musky aroma.
  • African truffle(Terfezia leonis) grows exclusively in North Africa and in parts of the Middle East. Whitish-yellow mushrooms are round in shape. The pulp is light, mealy, with white streaks and numerous dark spots. When ripe, it becomes moist.

Mushroom truffle italian

Mushroom truffle french black

Mushroom truffle black "burgundy"

Summer truffle mushroom

Mushroom truffle winter

African truffle

The benefits of the mushroom

Truffle harm

The fungus is not harmful to human health. There can be only one contraindication - it is intolerance to the product. And you should also pay attention to where it is assembled. Any mushroom, like a sponge, absorbs from the environment not only useful, but also toxic substances, and accumulates toxins.

Growing at home

Difficulties in finding truffles forced experts to raise the issue of their artificial cultivation. For several centuries, all attempts were unsuccessful, but at the beginning of the 19th century it was successfully cultivated. However, only “black” species grow in an unnatural environment, “white” cultivation truffles are not served.

The main condition is a favorable climate. It should be moderate, warm, without sudden changes in temperature. Regions with hot summers and frosty winters are not suitable for this purpose. Seed material is best bought in a specialized store, but they are not cheap. Usually, spores are grafted onto the roots of hazel or oak seedlings.

You can try growing mycorrhiza yourself. Beech or oak sawdust is infected with mycelium and placed in a warm, sterile place until mycorrhiza forms, but this will not happen until a year.

They select a place for planting trees - protected from the wind, direct sunlight, other shrubs, trees, flowers should not grow on its territory. Especially spruce, chestnuts and poplars do not tolerate truffles next to them. The place is protected from the invasion of animals. Truffle loves alkaline soil, if it is acidic, then add lime. And also it should be rich in humus, calcium and saturated with air.

Saplings are planted in the spring. The soil is not pre-fertilized so that the mycelium does not die. It is cleaned of weeds, stones and dug holes 75 cm deep, watered. Then the seedlings are planted, covered with soil and watered again. At a distance of 40 cm from each seedling, the ground is mulched with last year's oak leaves. The temperature should be in the region of +20 ° C ... + 22 ° C.

It is recommended to fertilize with potash and nitrogen fertilizers. They are added not to the place where the mushrooms are planted, but to the ground near the roots of the tree where they grow. For the winter, they must be mulched to protect them from frost. In the spring they are fed with mineral fertilizers rich in boron, copper, zinc, calcium and iron.

The timing of harvesting depends on the type of mushroom planted. They hide at a depth of 20 cm from the surface. If the mushrooms rot or lose their nutritional value, then they may be located close to the surface. In this case, it is recommended to sprinkle the surface with clean dry sand. Dig the truffles with a small spatula. Mushrooms grow not only near the roots of trees, but also are located between them.

Growing a truffle in a greenhouse or basement is expensive. To create optimal conditions, a system of air humidification, heating, ventilation is installed, special soil and means for additional disinfection are purchased. These costs will pay off if truffle cultivation becomes your business.

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. The unsightly view hides an unsurpassed culinary masterpiece, which is admired by fans of exotic dishes. A close acquaintance with the mushroom will help you appreciate it.

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

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

General description of the mysterious delicacy

In appearance, the mushroom 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 many build-ups.
Inside, the mushroom truffle is filled with so-called veins of light and dark tones, on which spores of various configurations are located. The cut 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.

Culinary experts use the mushroom truffle to prepare various dishes. Pates, delicate sauces, aromatic filling 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

A huge number of species of such mushrooms live in their natural environment. The following varieties are considered the most popular.

Tuber aestivum

It is often 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 as 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 the color range of the pulp:

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

The age of the truffle is determined by the internal consistency of the fruit cut. 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 flesh is chocolate-colored and 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 type of 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 a truffle mushroom in specialized outlets and taste its excellent taste.

The highlight of the fruit is multifaceted warts. They are reddish brown when the mushroom is young enough and turn black in old age. The flesh is usually light with a delicate pink tint. Over time, it takes on a brown or dark purple color, which indicates age. Strong aroma and pleasant taste tempt true culinary experts to prepare original dishes from them for a festive table.

White truffle mushroom has an irregular fruit shape 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 difficult to imagine. The product has an original aroma reminiscent of a combination of garlic and cheese. It grows in the northern part of Italy.

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

  • pear;
  • coconut;
  • sweet wine.

Grows in coniferous and deciduous forests. The first fruits are in May, the last ones in August. The size is only 3 cm, the weight is 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 product's habitat covers the following countries:

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

Interestingly, the mushroom loves the roots of various trees. For example, a truffle grown in Italy is found on the trunks of birches, lindens and poplars. Black specimens of the Perigord species grow at the foot of oak, beech and hornbeam. Summer variants are found in mixed forests of 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 for the mushroom:

  • winter grade;
  • summer black;
  • a white truffle, often referred to as a golden truffle.

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

Artificial mushroom cultivation

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

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

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

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

The composition of the mushroom includes many useful elements that help strengthen the human body. By taking it for food, even occasionally, you can forget about emotional disorders and other illnesses for a long time. It is practically harmless and does not cause food allergies.

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

Description and photo of the truffle mushroom, where it grows and how to look for it correctly - read in today's article.

What are the types of truffle mushrooms

Note: Very often the size of one specimen does not exceed the size of a walnut, but there are mushrooms with large potatoes and weighing more than one kilogram. Outwardly, it also bears a resemblance to potatoes.

Peridium (outer layer) can be with a smooth surface or indented with a large number of various cracks, and there are also specimens with characteristic multifaceted warts. There is a pronounced marble structure in the cross section.


Figure 1. External features of mushrooms

The pulp is made up of inner and outer "wreaths", which have dark and light shades. On the internal and external "veins" are located spore bags, which have a wide variety of shapes. Species affect the color of the flesh, which can be white, black, gray or chocolatey.

Kinds

The truffle families include more than a hundred representatives of these famous mushrooms, which are classified according to the 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. With the period of maturation, he can change the color scheme from white to yellow or gray-brown. The consistency of the pulp is very dense in young specimens, and loose in old ones. Representatives of the species have a sweetish nutty taste with a slightly noticeable smell of algae. You can meet this species in the following regions: Transcaucasia, Crimea, in the European part of Russia and in Europe. It can be found under oak, hazel and pine trees. Fruiting begins in June and lasts until early October.
  2. Black autumn burgundy has a rounded shape and can weigh up to 0.32 kg, but in size it is no more than 8 cm. At maturity, the pulp is colored milk chocolate and is penetrated with streaks of white. On the palate, you can recognize the aroma of cocoa, although the Burgundy specimens have a bitter aftertaste.
  3. Black winter endowed with an irregular spherical or spherical shape. The sizes of fruit bodies can be 8-20 cm and weigh up to 1.5 kg. The surface is covered with a reddish-purple tint, 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. 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, as they grow older, change their color from reddish-brown to coal-dark. Among all the known species, this one is considered the most valuable because it has a pleasant taste and strong aroma.
  5. White piedmontese(Italian) outwardly endowed with an irregular tuberous shape of fruit 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 fruits weighing up to 1 kg are found. Peridium can be yellowish red or brown in color. The pulp of the fruit is creamy or white in color, but specimens with a slight red tint can be found. The variety differs from its relatives by its pleasant taste and aroma, reminiscent of garlic and cheese odors. 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 Perigor, 5 - white Italian

We have provided a photo and description 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 localities of the families is very extensive and can be found in the following regions: Europe, Asia, the United States and North Africa (Figure 3).

With regard to the extensive 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.
  • Summer black grows well in mixed or deciduous forests, as well as in calcareous soils.

Figure 3. Distribution of fungi in the natural environment

You can meet this species in Central Europe, the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, Scandinavian countries and Ukraine. However, there were recorded cases of finding this specimen in certain regions of Central Asia.

Peculiarities

There are no pronounced features in the chemical composition. The popularity of this mushroom is based on its aromatic properties, which, it is assumed, can cause the awakening of some 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 find only a black summer variety.

What a truffle looks like

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


Figure 4. External features of truffles

The flesh of a mature specimen is loose, and a young one 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 streaks give it a marbled color. The pulp is sweetish in taste and similar to a nut, and the aroma is similar to the smell of algae.

What a truffle looks like and where to find it - the author of the video will tell you.

The 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:

  • The difficulty of growing;
  • Seasonal loot;
  • A high level of taste and aroma properties (quality) of the product.

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

What does a white truffle look like?

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

Note: The seasonal harvest has made this variety a real gastronomic rarity. You can taste fresh mushrooms only during the harvest season, and this happens from October to January.

The cost of the white variety made it the most expensive delicacy in the world, which was able to furnish the price of caviar, foie gras and gold. For this reason, you can often find special auctions where you can buy a variety of types of this expensive gastronomic product. The average price per kilogram is 3-4 thousand euros, and the most record cost is 330 thousand dollars per piece weighing 1.5 kg. Such a large copy was auctioned incognito in Hong Kong. In the rules of the auctions there is a mandatory clause on the provision of a complete pedigree, which includes the following points:

  • The exact weight of the specimen is up to a 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

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

Peculiarities

The pricing policy and the power of the white truffle aroma make it a dream come true for any culinary gourmet. Chefs never cook them neat during cooking. It is very common to 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 it can weaken the delicate taste and aroma. The strong point of white is the aroma of fresh mushroom, so very often they are laid out in thin slices on an already prepared dish.

What does a black truffle look like?

The black (Perigord) variety is very similar in aroma to white, but its earthy and musky notes are weaker, and very 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 grows very often in France. It has a second name, Perigord, because it is associated with the place of its growth.


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 with a pleasant taste. This variety grows in winter, and it begins to be harvested from January to March.

To date, many types of truffles have been established that can be safely eaten without danger to health. However, there are many other fungi that, if ingested, can cause digestive upset or 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 they belong to a different family. For example, deer grows in the wooded areas of Europe and North America and it is not edible for humans, but animals eat it with great pleasure.


Figure 7. Appearance and features of a false truffle

Reindeer truffle can cause stomach upset, but at the same time, false truffle is deadly to human health. Outwardly, it has an oblong shape, dark red or beige in color and belongs to the Basidiomycete family. The fruiting body of a poisonous mushroom can grow up to 10 cm in length and will have a characteristic unpleasant odor. The 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.

Not everyone will say what a truffle is. A common comparison is a bittersweet cone-shaped candy. However, truffle is not only sweet. This is a mushroom, about which it is customary to say that having tasted it at least once, it will be impossible to forget the taste. There are many legends around the truffle - about the taste, about the fact that only a select few can find it, and about many other things. Whether this is so - we will find out further.

Where do truffles grow in Russia?

In general, truffle loves more than a country with a warm temperate climate. Portugal, Spain, Italy, Germany are considered ideal places to grow mushrooms. However, it is possible to find this truly priceless mushroom (and why it is such, we will find out a little later) in Russia. Truffle places are Moscow, Vladimir, Tula, Oryol, Smolensk regions. Truffles are also growing in the Middle Volga region. The question is different. It is very difficult to find a mushroom, therefore, residents of a particular area often simply do not know what kind of wealth can be found on their lands.

Mushroom pickers do not know when to pick ripe truffles, and only professionals can tell how. Take white truffle, for example. Where this species grows in Russia, only true "hunters" for truffles know. So, first things first.

What is truffle?

First, we find out what kind of mushroom it is. Truffle is considered a gourmet find, being the most expensive mushroom in the world. Its size can be up to 15 centimeters, its weight varies from 100 to 500 grams. The truffle grows in the ground, at a relatively shallow depth - 15-20 centimeters. But the appearance of newbies can scare off. Outwardly, the truffle is very similar to Jerusalem artichoke, forming a complex rhizome of an unsightly appearance with a light brown skin and soft inside. This variety of mushrooms is distinguished by a bright aroma, as well as a meaty taste, which does not even remotely resemble the taste of a mushroom. There are two types of truffles - black and white. The latter are large, they choose the above-mentioned areas of growth. And where in Russia does summer truffle (aka black) grow?

Black truffles can be found both in the Caucasus and on the Black Sea coast.

Reproduction methods

Truffles reproduce in a way that is not quite usual for mushrooms. In common species, this process occurs with the help of parts of the mycelium (seeds), spores, or during the formation of a secondary mycelium. Spores of simple fungi are carried by wind or water. It's different with truffles. They can reproduce in the only way - with the help of animals. Since the seeds of the fungus are underground, neither wind nor water can reach them, and even more so they cannot transfer them anywhere. The seeds are spread along the ground by animals, which dig them up and eat them, leaving pieces of the mushroom from which a new one is then formed. So, we learned how these mushrooms multiply and where truffles grow in Russia. Go ahead.

What forests love truffles

As strange as it may sound, a truffle is a rather capricious mushroom. He is friends with only a few types of trees, so looking for them in other forest belts is simply pointless. So, where does truffle (mushroom) grow in Russia? He chooses an area near the very roots of the tree. There he is comfortable and comfortable - there is always a lot of moisture, which allows the mushroom to fully develop. Truffles are especially fond of hornbeam and beech. They can also be found in birch rhizomes or dug out in hazel groves. But my favorite tree is oak. Oak groves are where truffles grow in Russia (the photo below is taken in the truffle season).

This has one more indisputable plus - both simple pigs and wild boars eat acorns. It is their aroma that attracts animals to the location of the truffle, and then it’s a matter of little. The mushroom is a favorite delicacy of these animals. Its aroma is much stronger than the smell of acorns. Boars smell it and dig it up, thereby giving a chance to breed further.

Production and growing methods

So, let's dwell on the methods of obtaining this mushroom. We remember where truffles grow in Russia. How they reproduce - too. But how you can get them - we will find out now. Specially trained pigs or dogs are used to search for this expensive mushroom.

The smell of truffles is bright especially at night, therefore, the "hunt" for them is carried out precisely in the dark. You can also find them by a swarm of midges, which certainly swirls over their location, enjoying the aromas of mushrooms. It is necessary to dig out the truffle very carefully, trying not to damage both the mushroom itself and the roots of the tree from which it grows. And now to the main thing - where do truffles grow in Russia at home? The answer is simple: nowhere. In our country, trial cultivation processes are underway. The fact is that they are very complex - the ground is covered with acorns, which crumbled at the place where the mushroom grew. A soil suitable for growing oak is prepared, mixed with that where the truffles grew. The collected acorns are planted there, and only after 6 years the first harvest can be obtained. Today, taking into account all the subtleties, it is easier to buy a truffle in Russia than to grow it.