WHAT IS IT
The Truffle (Tuber) is a spontaneous tuber-shaped mushroom, which grows in the ground next to the roots of some trees or shrubs, in particular oaks and holm oaks, from which it draws nourishment.
By truffle we mean the only hypogeal fruiting body (which is underground) which is identified with the help of dogs and picked by hand.
The truffle has a fleshy mass called "gleba", covered by a sort of bark called "peridium" and its shape depends on the characteristics of the soil in which it grows: the softer the soil, the more the truffle will have a spherical shape, on the contrary the harder and stony the ground is, the more the truffle will develop a lumpy shape.
Made up in a high percentage of water, fiber and mineral salts, the truffle is loved and appreciated certainly not for its nutritional contribution but for its ability to bring pleasure to the consumer thanks to its unique and unmistakable flavor.
HISTORY
The first certain news of our beloved Truffle appears in the Naturalis Historia, by the Latin scholar Pliny the Elder (79 AD).
The reported anecdotes have shown that the truffle was highly appreciated at the table of the Romans, who certainly collected the culinary use of this mushroom from the Etruscans.
In the first century AD, thanks to the Greek philosopher Plutarch of Cheronea, the idea was handed down that the precious mushroom was born from the combined action of water, heat and lightning.
From here various poets drew inspiration; one of these, Juvenal, explained the origin of the precious mushroom as the result of a thunderbolt thrown by Jupiter near an oak (a tree considered sacred to the father of the Gods).
Regardless of beliefs, the truffle always remained a highly appreciated food, especially in noble tables.
THE HUNTING
To "find" a truffle the hunter must make use of the collaboration of a dog with a very fine nose and specially trained to recognize the smell of this mushroom.
When the dog sniffs the truffle, it indicates it to the seeker who extracts it with the utmost care and delicacy.
To allow the formation of new rootlets (which will in turn be mycorrhized) it is of fundamental importance that the seeker puts back the removed soil.
THE SPECIES
There are several species of truffles that vary according to the season, the best known and most appreciated are the following:
- BLACK SUMMER TRUFFLE OR SCORZONE (From May to December)
- PRECIOUS BLACK TRUFFLE (From November to mid-March)
- PRECIOUS WHITE TRUFFLE (From September to January)
-BIANCHETTO TRUFFLE (From January to April)
COMBINATIONS IN THE KITCHEN
The uses of truffles in the kitchen are many: the flavor of white truffle stands out best when used raw in simple recipes, which place it at the center of the dish combined with delicate flavors, for example grated on tagliolini or risotto, on egg all ' bull's eye or on the meat. The black truffle, on the other hand, releases all its aroma when subjected to not too intense cooking, for example in the fillings, cooked together with risotto, in soufflé, in pates to spread on toast.
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