What time of year are white truffles harvested? Where does this unique mushroom grow? What is truffle

The most expensive mushrooms in the world are truffles. They are a tasty morsel for gourmets from all over the world. Such a delicacy cannot be detected with the naked eye, since it is underground, shallow, about 15 centimeters.

They are divided into black and white, although many different types... White truffles are considered rare and more valuable, as they are less common than black ones. A favorable place for their ripening, a place with warm and temperate climate... But can these mushrooms be found in Russia?

Where white truffles grow in Russia

White truffles grow and ripen from autumn to early winter. But they can be found extremely rarely, so they are appreciated accordingly. You can find them on the territory of the middle Volga region, as well as in central Russia.

It is small in itself, its size is about 15 cm, and its weight is up to 500 g. It grows underground at a depth of 15 cm.

Where black truffles grow in Russia

Black truffles are also called summer truffles. They are also present on the territory of Russia. They can be found near the Black Sea coast in the Caucasus, in the European part of Russia and in the Moscow region. Most often found on calcareous soil. They do not exceed 10 cm in size, grows underground at a depth of 10 to 15 cm. The time at which such mushrooms are harvested is from late summer to early autumn.

How to find truffles

These mushrooms grow near tree roots. They prefer oak, birch, beech, walnut or hornbeam. You need to look for them in forests with such trees. For Russia, there is a high probability of meeting such mushrooms near oak trees. It is worth noting that in young forests they are less common, and where the forest is felled, they disappear altogether. Wet and heavy black soil is a favorite maturing place for truffles.

Without certain knowledge and special training, it is almost impossible to find such mushrooms. Therefore, first of all, you should find out more about them, get ready and then start looking.

To facilitate your search, you will be helped by:

an image of the truffle itself, so that it is clear what you are looking for;
an animal, which is a specially trained dog or pig.

After some preparation, you should go to the forest where the above mentioned trees are often found.
Truffles grow on the roots of these trees. Therefore, you should look for them near large representatives of tree species.
To simplify your search, use special animals. Thanks to their charm, they will be able to find the coveted delicacy in your place many times faster. Take a picture of this mushroom with you so you know what to look for. If there is no such photo, then try to remember that it resembles a small potato tuber. Its surface is rough. It is firm to the touch. The color can be either white or black.
These mushrooms can be found on their permanent locations. The matured body of the fungus can simply lie on the surface of the earth. In the same place, other mushrooms cannot completely crawl out. This is evidenced by the hillocks of the earth, they are somewhat reminiscent of the holes of moles.
Watch the ground carefully. If you find any damage to animals on it or there is an accumulation of midges, then, most likely, there may be a mushroom spot. Truffle flies are a good landmark in the truffle habitat. The larvae of these insects feed on these fungi, so they lay their eggs next to them. If you find a swarm of these insects, be sure that truffles grow here.
You can see truffles on the surface of the earth after strong wind or after the rainy season. They can roll out of the ground on the hillsides where large trees have grown. Notice sandy and loose soils a good place for the germination of these mushrooms, they especially love if the soil contains a lot of lime.
When you find one of these mushrooms, look for more nearby. Such mushrooms are never found alone. Often, next to one mushroom, there may be another 5-6 pieces.

How to collect truffle mushrooms

To collect truffles, you need a little - a basket, a knife and a specially trained dog or pig. Previously, only pigs were used, but since these animals did not mind eating such a delicacy and had to share with them. WITH small age the pig is trained to smell it.

If such a smell is detected, it will begin to dig the ground and at this moment it is necessary to quickly drive it away, since the pig will simply eat the prey. It is difficult for such animals to search for large areas and are unable to work for a long time, as they quickly get tired. After your pet has found prey, be sure to reward him with peas or boiled beans.

Since there is a high probability that the prey was eaten by the pig when searching for the buden, they began to use dogs. These animals are indifferent to beans, and they look no worse than pigs. These dogs are quite expensive, they cost several thousand dollars, but they can benefit you much more. They need, while still a puppy, to accustom them to the smell of truffles.

To do this, you need to drink milk with mushroom broth. Do not forget about training. You need to do the following:

Take any stick;
Rub it with mushroom.
Hide, gradually increasing the area. Start with a room, then hide in the garden, and then, among the forest;
Remember to reward your pet after each encounter with the dog.

After such training, your dog will be happy to look for these cherished mushrooms for you.

After a dog or a pig finds prey, it is necessary to quickly remove them, as they will immediately begin to dig the ground, thereby they can damage the find. Then follow very carefully. Clear enough space around the find, and then cut it off without damaging its surface, as well as the place where it grew, as a new one will grow again there. They grow in bunches, often very close to each other. When cutting, you do not need to damage the rest of the mushrooms. Next, put the mushrooms in a basket or bag and enjoy the catch.

How to grow a truffle

To grow truffles, remember that without suitable climatic conditions you won't succeed. If there are large temperature changes, that is, it is very hot in summer and cold in winter, then nothing of this will work, it is better to immediately abandon the idea and not waste either time or effort.

If there are no problems with the climate, then buy special seedlings of walnut or oak trees, to which mushroom spores have already been grafted. These trees will cost about $ 10. Then, find a suitable place for planting such a tree.

Choose a place where there is no access to various animals, protected from bright sun and strong wind. Also, other representatives of vegetation should not grow there. The best conditions must be created!

Choosing the right place is not everything. One must also remember about the soil. it important factor... Growing truffles requires alkaline soil. If this is not the case, then it is necessary to increase the alkaline level by gradually adding lime. In no case, you do not need to fertilize the soil before planting, because the mycelium of the fungus may die.

After you have thoroughly processed the soil and the place for planting the tree, you can start planting itself. The right time for this is spring. During this time of the year, the weather is stable and favorable.

For planting, you need to make a hole, the depth of which is about 75 cm, then pour water over it. Next, carefully place the seedling there, while not damaging the roots, cover it with earth and water it well. Sprinkle a layer of mulch around the tree, at a radius of up to 40 cm. For this, you can use oak leaves that fell off last year.

After that, cover the tree with greenhouse film.

To feed, use a variety of fertilizers that can be bought in specialty stores. Which to use and how to use them, you can consult about this in the same store or from experienced people.

Average cost of a truffle when buying

Truffle is considered one of the most delicious and expensive delicacies in the world. This luxury can only be afforded by first-class restaurants. For one kilogram of such goods, you can pay from 2,000 to 4,000 euros, and about 100 kg can be collected from one hectare, which will amount to more than 300 thousand euro profits. But, when the root system is still underdeveloped, big harvest do not wait, the harvest will grow after 3-4 years.

Instructions

Helpful advice

Sources:

Truffles in the suburbs?

Truffle is considered a delicious mushroom. In French cuisine, dishes using this product are quite common, it is enough to recall the famous Strasbourg pie mentioned by A.S. Pushkin. In Russia, there is only one species of this mushroom - the summer truffle. Several species grow in France and Italy. Truffle refers to underground inhabitants, he hardly appears outside. You can find it, but for this you need to know some of the signs of the fungus and techniques.

You will need

- a specially trained dog or pig;
- a picture with a picture of a truffle.

Instructions

The mycelium is an integral part of the root mycorrhiza. Therefore, look for them near large oak or birch trees. Truffles, like all other mushrooms, form the so-called "witch's rings", that is, rings of fruit bodies that surround root system"Master". If you do not destroy the mycelium, it will become more and more with each fruiting body. Truffle loves dry places. Of the tree species, he prefers alder, oak, birch, hazel.

Piglets are specially trained to search for truffles. In France, for example, one starts teaching at the age of four months, and then he "works" for a decade. But you can find it without the help of animals. Find a picture of a truffle, because you need to know exactly what to look for. Truffle looks like a small tuber with a rough surface. Of course, there are no eyes on it, and the color range ranges from to black. It is firm to the touch.

Truffles, like all other mushrooms, are found in permanent places. The mature fruiting body of the fungus appears on the surface and may simply lie on the ground. You don't need to dig it out. There may also be other fruit bodies half crawled out of the ground. This can be easily identified by the bumps in the ground. The bumps are a bit like wormholes. These mushrooms are almost never found alone. If you find one mushroom, then look in the neighborhood for another 5-6 pieces.

After heavy rains you can find truffles rolling out of the ground on the hillsides overgrown with large trees, or in ravines. You can find them on the surface and after strong winds. It should be noted that truffles are preferred by sandy and other loose soils. They especially like lime soil.

Truffle flies can indicate the "deposit". They lay their eggs in the ground next to these. Their larvae feed on truffles. Therefore, if you see a yellowish swarm not far from the tree, you can expect to find mushrooms right there.

note

Don't confuse truffle with a fake raincoat. The false raincoat is also covered in dense skin, but it grows on the ground and has roots.

Sources:

make a truffle

Truffles are delicious mushrooms. A rare mushroom picker knows truffles, as they are very good at hiding: they grow almost completely underground, they are called invisible, since it is very difficult to find these mushrooms. There are places in Russia where truffles grow very well, in the past they were a large number collected by the peasants, knowing how to look for these delicacies in the forest. Even Pushkin wrote about truffles.

Instructions

Truffles are harvested in late summer or early autumn. Despite the fact that they begin to grow in spring, they ripen for a long time. Favorite places for these are various glades, which receive a lot of light, the edges of an oak forest. The truffle is also found in the woods in groves or even in an aspen forest, but less often. Almost by accident, the fungus can grow in juniper, walnut or alder thickets. A truffle spot can be distinguished by the fact that the ground there becomes somewhat gray-ash, mosses and grasses in these places are withered and stunted, painful and dry.

Truffles usually nest in several pieces. This is a tuber that bears little resemblance to a mushroom; it does not have a cap and legs that are familiar to the look of a mushroom picker. More like a potato, the surface is yellowish or gray-brown. Some types of these mushrooms, when cut, look like. The flesh is grayish-white or pure white; in black truffles, it darkens over time to purple-black. These mushrooms look quite unusual, but their aroma is even more remembered. Very strong, does not fade during years if you dry the truffle in the sun.

A rare truffle comes to the surface. Sometimes they protrude almost half of the ground, but more often they hide underground at a distance of 5-10 cm from the surface. The depth can be up to 20 cm or even more. The size of a truffle is also different, the diameter is from 2 to 10 cm, or even more.

If the glade looks like "truffle", then you should pay attention to the hillocks of the earth. One mushroom may well hide under some one, and all its family will be nearby. They are looking for truffles at any time of the day. If other mushrooms are harvested in the morning, since they are the freshest and strongest at this time, then truffles are equally good at any time of the day, it is even easier to find them in the evening.

Truffles smell very strong, and if a person does not feel this through the layer of earth, then insects do. Often a truffle spot can be found closer to sunset. On a sunny day, yellowish ones can swarm over the mycelium, as they smell. It also happens that the ground there is a little dug up: these are animals, among which there are moose, and hares, and, foxes and squirrels, also tried to find a delicious mushroom.

Helpful advice

In the past, truffles were often searched for with the help of pets, who could smell the mushroom. You can train your dog to search, but for this you need to have at least one mushroom so that it can remember the smell.

Sources:

Truffles in the suburbs?

Drunk black and white truffles cannot be compared with the purchased ones! You can even give such a treat to loved ones for the holidays, everyone will be delighted!

You will need

- chocolate chips(can be replaced with chopped chocolate) - 1 glass;
- cocoa, prunes, nut liqueur, chopped hazelnuts - 1/4 cup each;
- icing sugar - 3 glasses;
- white chocolate - 300 grams;
- almond milk - 1 spoon;
- a pinch of salt.

Instructions

Make small balls from the nut-chocolate mixture, placing prunes in the middle of each. Dip the balls in cocoa and powdered sugar.

How truffles are searched

There is an amazing irony in how truffles are found - one of the most expensive foods on the planet can be obtained by enlisting the help of an animal that many consider "unclean." Pigs love these mushrooms so much that they are able to smell their aroma under the thickness of the earth. Another "joke" of nature, hidden in truffles, was appreciated by scientists not long ago - in these mushrooms, which are famous among connoisseurs for their delicate aroma, the most important component of the smell is dimethyl sulfide. It would seem, what is it? But it is this ingredient that is "responsible" for the smell, which many find too simple and, moreover, unpleasant.

Truffles are like soft, cracked tubers. They grow at the roots of trees such as oak, chestnut, linden, poplar, beech and hazel. Sometimes the fungus can be found more than a meter underground, but it never grows outside the shadow cast by the branches of the trees. Mushrooms grow in wildlife all over Europe, when "ripe", truffles give off a strong, distinctive scent that can be smelled by the animal's sensitive noses. Gourmets were the first people who began to use in the search for delicacies, but it was very difficult to “hunt” with them. Firstly, pigs are very weighty hunters and they are not so easy to deliver to the place of search. Secondly, having found a mushroom, they strive to eat it immediately. Soon, the pigs were replaced by specially trained ones, whose sensitive but in no way inferior to a pig's patch. As soon as the dog finds the mushroom, it starts barking loudly and then it's time for the truffle collector. Using a special narrow spatula with a long handle, he digs in the mushroom, and then removes it, trying not to touch it with his hands, otherwise the truffle will start to rot. If the mushroom is not yet ripe, it is buried back to allow it to grow. The best specimens of mushrooms reach a weight of 100 grams or more.

Types of truffles

Truffles do not grow in artificial ones. All attempts to grow them from spores or seeds have ruined the collapse, so mushrooms are collected only in the wild. Depending on where the truffle grew and what variety it belongs to, the price of the mushroom is set.

The most valuable are the white truffles grown in the Alba region of Piedmont. In fact, these are mushrooms of a soft cream color with white marble veins. Black truffles from Périgord, France are considered next in value. They are followed by Italian black truffles from Spoleto, which actually have a delicate dark brown skin, also mottled with white veins.

Types of truffles

There are hundreds of types of truffles, but the most valuable are the black and white varieties. They are summer and winter. In Europe, the most common black and white winter varieties.

The black winter truffle appears in November and shows its maximum taste at the end of January. It is mainly found in Italy, Spain and France. This truffle grows alongside birch and oak trees. This species is black-brown on the outside and red-brown on the inside. The most expensive truffle is from Perigord in France. Its value lies in its strong, persistent, distinctive odor and slightly nutty taste.

White truffles are more rare than black ones. It is found in Umbria and Piedmont in Italy and has a brown skin and light flesh with red veins. The aroma of white truffles is more pronounced than black ones, but it is not as persistent and quickly disappears.

Truffle collection process

Collecting truffles is a very complicated process. They are usually harvested at night because their pungent odor is easier at night. Pigs or dogs are used to search for truffles. Dogs are prepared for this process from the very beginning: they are fed with milk with broth or truffle tincture. Then the animals are trained: pieces of wood, rubbed with truffles, are hidden around the room, which the animals must find. Then, instead of a room, they use a courtyard and a vegetable garden, and then they go out into the forest. Pigs do not require as much preparation. They have a very sensitive sense of smell and therefore find truffles without any problems. But because of the aroma of mushrooms, they fall into such bliss that later it is very difficult to take them away from the place of discovery.

The truffle harvest is very different from year to year. In years of poor harvest, truffle prices can increase several times. Such a high price for truffles is due not only to the laborious process of collecting them, but also to the fact that they have no analogues in the world and cannot be obtained in any other way.

Delicacy storage

Truffles have a very short shelf life, so they must be eaten fresh to experience the uniqueness of their taste. Truffles are sold out very quickly during the season, and connoisseurs specially come to Italy and France to enjoy this rare delicacy.

Still, truffles can retain their flavor and aroma in a special oil. These mushrooms are later used as an addition to other dishes. Sometimes truffles are stored in rice, after which a very unusual risotto is made from it. Even less often, truffles are frozen. But the cost of such a product is much less than that of a fresh one.

Truffle is a rare and expensive one that 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 the conditions of its growth. But luck may smile on the mushroom picker during a "quiet" hunt. Therefore, it does not hurt at all to look at the photo, what a truffle looks like, and find out 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 rather unsightly, somewhat reminiscent of Jerusalem artichoke tubers. The surface of these fungi can be smooth, excised by furrows, or warty-tuberous. In color, depending on the species, they are different: black, white, reddish-brown. Usually they grow in a family of several fruiting bodies. Mushrooms the size of a nut or grape are more common. But they can be the size of a large apple or even larger.

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 is its other name "Perigorsk". It is considered one of the most valuable species truffles, found mainly in France. It is characterized by a brownish-black color, exquisite aroma, great taste, harvested in winter.
Winter - one of the varieties of black truffles. It grows mainly in France, as well as in Switzerland. It can also be found in other places. Ripening time - from November to March.

There are many varieties of truffle

Italian or Piedmont - belongs to the white varieties, one of the most expensive.
White - by appearance resembles potato tubers, is rare, belongs to edible mushrooms 4 categories.
Summer - they also call him a black Russian. It is considered a delicacy, although not the most valuable of the black varieties.

There are others edible varieties this valuable mushroom. Species composition very wide. They are found practically on all continents, 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, hazel. Much less often truffles settle in coniferous forests under pines, fir or juniper.

What kind of truffles grow on the territory of Russia

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

Black summer truffle (or Russian).
White truffle.

The black summer truffle can be found on the Black Sea coast of Russia near the Caucasus and in the suburbs of Sochi, as well as on the territory of the Crimea peninsula. It grows mostly in deciduous and mixed forests. It practically does not occur in coniferous forests. It 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, Oryol, Vladimir, Smolensk regions, as well as in the middle Volga region. They are occasionally found in the Moscow region and even in Leningrad region... They prefer to settle under oak trees, they can grow in the roots of trees of other deciduous species. In addition to these varieties, others are occasionally found in our country. The black winter truffle is found in the mountainous Crimea, and the red truffle is found in some parts of 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 the root system of the tree.

Collecting truffles: when and how it happens

The black summer or Russian truffle grows close enough to the surface of the earth. The harvesting season of this variety of mushrooms falls on summer time and the very beginning of autumn. Black winter truffles ripen in January-March. And white truffles ripen from mid-autumn to early winter. Mushrooms of this variety are collected mainly in the second half of October.

White truffle

It is extremely difficult to search for truffles due to their hidden location. It is almost impossible to find them on your own without proper training. Sometimes mushrooms can appear above the surface of the earth, but, as a rule, at this time they already become inedible. The search for mushrooms can be carried out with the help of animals specially trained for this purpose - dogs or pigs, which search for truffles by smell. Some especially experienced mushroom pickers find truffles according to some characteristics. In the place where the mushrooms are located, vegetation is usually stunted, and the soil in such zones is of an ash-grayish hue.

Advice. Above the surface of the earth, in the area where these mushrooms grow, you can usually see a swarm of midges. This trait is often used by experienced mushroom pickers when determining the exact location of truffles.

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

Russian truffle: video

Truffle is a mushroom of the genus marsupials, of the order Peziziales with underground tuberous fleshy fruiting bodies... There is an opinion that having tasted a truffle only once, its taste and aroma are engraved in the memory for a lifetime. Photo and description of truffles, perhaps, will make someone doubt him taste, but believe me - behind the unsightly appearance there is a real masterpiece, the dream of culinary experts 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.

In the best restaurants in Piedmont late autumn"truffle menus" are served: 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 mushrooms they found from Trifolau.

Truffle is a mysterious mushroom. The history of truffles

Truffle is a mysterious mushroom, so far it has not been possible to find out exactly how it grows. How many types of truffles there are 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 is October-December, and at this time Piedmont becomes the main point in the travel program for true gourmets.

The famous 19th-century French chef Jean-Anselm Brija-Savarin devoted a separate chapter to truffle in his illustrious book The Physiology of Taste (1825), describing how he experimentally tested whether truffles were 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 Hotel des Americans and Hotel de Provence restaurants, as well as in the homes of wealthy aristocrats. History of grown truffles artificially, began in the 19th century, when the French learned to breed black truffles and planted almost all regions with "truffle forests". Then "diamonds" became quite affordable even for ordinary French people 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 of chemical fertilizers throughout the 20th century have had a very negative impact on the European truffle. Only in Perigord, before the First World War, about 1000 tons per year were harvested, and now the entire French harvest does not exceed 20 tons. The situation in Italy is not much better.

How to grow a truffle

For a mushroom to grow, three factors must match: the right soil, trees and weather. Before growing a truffle, you need to create certain conditions: the soil should be soft and rich in minerals, the climate should be warm and humid. Truffle is best combined with oak, poplar, cherry, hazelnut, linden and willow. The species of wood affects the taste and smell of the truffle: the most powerful aroma is from mushrooms grown under the canopy of an oak tree.

The secret of black truffle breeding has been restored today, but this activity is still most suitable for 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 something will come of it or not. To be honest, the failure rate so far is such that the price of diluted truffles is about the same as wild ones.

White truffle is the most expensive delicacy in the world

A white truffle, unlike a black one, is impossible to breed. And since it grows in very limited areas (truffles in Piedmont are harvested only in the Langhe, some areas of Monferrato and Roerot and on the hills around Turin), its price is a logical consequence of very small supply and high demand. So what is it about it that attracts connoisseurs from all over the world?

Gioachino Rossini, a great lover of white truffles, called him “Mozart among the mushrooms” and recalled that “he cried only three times in his life: when my first opera failed, when I first heard Paganini play, and when a turkey stuffed with white truffles fell for board the boat during a picnic on the water. " White truffle is the most exquisite and most aromatic. Its fans often say that they "eat the smell" because the powerful aroma and taste are so tightly and intricately interconnected 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 its seasonality. You can taste this mushroom only from October to January. Of course, at other times of the year, restaurateurs can offer you dishes with white truffles, where canned mushrooms will be used in one way or another, but a fresh truffle and its brother in a tin can differ in the same way as an aria performed by Caruso from an aria sung by a neighbor. Therefore, in the fall, the white truffle - uncrowned king Alba.

By law, white truffles can be harvested from September 15 to January 31, but mushrooms reach their peak quality in November-December. This is the most stressful period in the life of trifolao (truffle collectors). They wait until nightfall to go on a "hunt" with specially trained dogs (in Piedmont, pigs are not used because they often eat the mushrooms they find). At night, the gathering is arranged for several reasons: firstly, the night air is colder and cleaner, so dogs can smell better, and secondly, protected places each trifolau is its know-how, which should be hidden from competitors, if possible, and thirdly, at night it is easier to hear an approaching intruder (attacks on trifolau are not so rare - too expensive goods are spread out in their pockets). By the way, in order not to light up, trifolau even try to choose dogs with dark fur, and they drive up to the hunting place on a bicycle, leaving the car several kilometers away in order to confuse the pursuers.

White truffle is the most expensive delicacy in the world, it is easy to furnish for the price not only black caviar and foie gras, but even gold (if you recalculate the cost per gram of 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 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 examples. You can understand the chefs - having paid a hefty sum 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 a record $ 330,000 for a unique mushroom weighing 1.5 kg, bought incognito from Hong Kong in 2007 at a traditional charity auction, which is held in November in Alba with a broadcast on London and Hong Kong. The rules of auctions are the same everywhere: mushrooms must be presented with a full "pedigree" (indication of weight up to a gram, name of the dog that found it and indication of the tree under which it was found).

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

The price and strength of the white truffle's aroma puts it in a borderline culinary position. No chef in the world prepares pure truffles, and often the amount of truffles in a dish is comparable to the amount of herbs and spices used. In addition, white truffles are usually subjected to minimal heat treatment, which weakens more delicate aromas and tastes than black ones. And since the aroma of white truffles is strongest when they are just sliced, they are usually just spread out in freshly sliced thin slices on ready meal... In Piedmont, this is most often treated with risotto, local tagliatelle pasta, omelette and carpaccio. The best companions for white truffles are pasta, eggs, white meat (chicken, turkey and quail), risotto, parmesan and romano cheeses, slightly bitter salads (for example, Frize), bresaola and prosciutto, potatoes and wild boar.

Black (Perigord) truffle

Black (Perigord) truffle has a similar aroma to white, only earthy and musky notes in it are weaker and often complemented by a scent that suggests very fresh hazelnuts. In addition, black truffles are often added during cooking, and all this together shifts the spectrum of suitable wines towards full-bodied whites that have not been aged in oak for too long. Aged white burgundy is definitely a win-win option, no less good will be the white Rhone based on Russanne and Marsanne, especially the five-seven-year-old Hermitage Blanc.

Truffle varieties

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 such 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: an average black winter truffle is usually three times more than summer. With the complexity of collecting even artificially cultivated mushrooms, this parameter becomes of great importance.

TITLE	REGION OF DISTRIBUTION	SEASON
WHITE TRUFFLE TUBER MAGNATUM PICO	Mainly in northern Italy (Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, Tosnana and Marne)	October - end of December
BLACK PERIGORIAN OR BLACK WINTER TRUFFLE TUBER MELANOSPORUM VITT	France, Spain, Italy and Croatia. Truffles from Perigord and Umbria are considered the best. Artificially bred in many countries from Sweden to New Zealand	December to mid-March
SCORZONE, SAINT TRUFFLE OR SUMMER BLACK TRUFFLE TUBER AESTIVUM VITT	All alpine countries in Europe	Aug. Sept
BLACK BURGAND TRUFFLE IS SOMETIMES CALLED THE SUMMER BLACK TRUFFLE TUBER UNCINATUM	France, Italy, Turkey, North Afrina	September-December
BLACK MUSK TRUFFLE TUBER BRUMALE	Central and Southern Europe	November-mid-March

Choosing wine for truffles

Truffle is a gourmet mushroom that grows underground at a depth of 10 to 30 centimeters. Truffle is one of the most expensive delicacies, its price, depending on the variety, can range from $ 800 to several thousand dollars per kilogram. Nevertheless, gourmets do not spare any money for the delicacy.

In this article, we will explain how and where truffles grow and how you can find them.

Variety of truffles

The truffle has a pronounced mushroom flavor with hints of walnuts and roasted seeds, and if the mushroom is kept in water for a short time, it acquires a slight aftertaste of soy sauce.

The color of the truffle can be black, white, gray and yellow, depending on the type and time of collection. The smallest truffle is about the size of a quail's egg, the largest is about the size of a large apple.

Truffles harvested from October to January are white, while those harvested between December and March are black. However, truffles harvested in winter are considered tastier and tend to be larger.

Where to look?

There are quite a few types of truffles, but the most famous are four - year old (or black Russian), winter, Italian (or Piedmont), black (or Perigord).

The species determines the place where the truffle grows. In general, all truffles grow in deciduous forests: black truffles can be found next to oak, beech or hornbeam, and Piedmont truffles - not far from birch, poplar, linden, mountain ash, elm and hawthorn.

Summer truffle

Deciduous forest is a necessary (though not the only) condition for truffle growth. In our country, for example, there is a huge number of deciduous forests, however, only summer truffles grow in Russia and only in the region Black Sea coast The Caucasus. In addition, summer truffles can be found in areas of Central Europe all the way to southern Scandinavia.

Winter truffle

This truffle variety is widespread in the forests of France, Italy and Switzerland, and you can also find this delicacy in Ukraine.

Italian truffle

The Italian truffle, of course, grows in Italy, as the name implies, and its largest "deposits" are in the Piedmont region. In addition, this type of truffle grows in Central Italy, Central and Southern France, as well as in other parts of southern Europe.

Black truffle

Black truffle can, again, be found in Italy and France, and in addition, in Spain. Nevertheless, France is richer in black truffles than others - this delicacy can be found in almost any region of the country, but the richest in this respect is the south-west of the country - Dordogne, Gironde, Lot.

The black truffle is specially cultivated in the PRC.

Use of truffles

Truffle is used in cooking due to its strong, rich aroma. This delicacy goes well with dishes with the so-called passive taste - meat, cheeses, eggs, pasta.

Mushrooms can be boiled, fried and steamed, or served raw.

In addition to the exquisite taste and aroma, truffles are distinguished by a high content of vitamins of groups B, PP, C, B2, B1, as well as macro- and microelements - sodium, potassium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, copper.

How to find?

Of course, as you might have guessed, there are enough truffle hunters, because this product can be sold very profitably. However, truffles are not easy to find. To search for these mushrooms, pigs or specially trained dogs are used, which are still fed as puppies with milk with a decoction of truffles.

A hint in the search for truffles can be the so-called ginger fly, which swarms over the place where the delicacy grows.

How long does a truffle grow?

It would seem that if a truffle is so expensive, then why waste time on searches, which can not always be crowned with success, it may be easier to grow it? However, as you might have guessed, everything is not simple here either. First, the truffle is a very capricious mushroom and requires careful maintenance, including expensive feeding. And, secondly, the first harvests should be expected no earlier than six years later. Besides, you never know if there will be a harvest or not. Nevertheless, private farmers do not give up trying to develop the optimal technology, because a good harvest, which is about 90 kg of mushrooms per hectare, can earn up to 250 thousand euros!