Truffles are the name given to the genus and family of mushrooms of the same name, which are considered elite representatives. These are one of the most valuable and therefore expensive mushrooms, and they are used not only in preparing gourmet dishes, but also as a medicine.
Truffles are the namesake genus and family of mushrooms, which are considered elite representatives
Interesting Facts
Here are some interesting facts about white truffle:
- if you soak a raw truffle in water for some time, the latter tastes indistinguishable from soy sauce;
- despite their exotic appearance and reputation as a delicacy, truffles are indistinguishable from other mushrooms in their chemical composition;
- White truffles in Russia are called “cow’s bread” because when grazing, cows and other animals detect the truffle by smell, tear up the soil above it and eat the top part of the mushroom.
Choiromyces meandriformis.
White truffles have a unique aroma that animals smell very well. But some people are not sensitive to this smell at all. Another portion of people perceive the truffle aroma as disgusting, reminiscent of the smell of old urine or sweat.
How to search correctly
Truffles grow exclusively underground. The average depth of the fruiting body is about 10-20 cm. Obtaining a valuable mushroom can be difficult, and often a person is helped to look for these mushrooms by animals that can smell them - a pig or a dog.
If you have experience in truffle hunting, you can find mushrooms yourself. It is enough to know that you should look for them in clearings and edges with a small amount of grass. They grow in whole “families”, so the soil in their location rises and sometimes cracks. Truffles smell quite strongly and specifically, which often attracts midges swarming over the fruit bodies hidden in the ground.
The shelf life of fresh product does not exceed three days. However, you can store this delicious mushroom in olive oil or alcohol.
Useful and medicinal properties of truffles
The mushroom pulp contains several useful components:
- vitamins B1 and B2;
- vitamins C and PP;
- antioxidants that block free radicals and thus prevent cell destruction.
Since antioxidants are also believed to block the aging processes of the skin and the body as a whole, some Italian factories have launched the production of a special line of cosmetics, including mainly creams and lotions that provide benefits to the skin. They maintain elasticity and refresh the appearance, and it is believed that even 5-7 drops are enough to cope with deep wrinkles.
Also in local folk medicine, it is believed that these mushrooms are aphrodisiacs (components that increase attraction to the opposite sex) and support potency in men. They are also used to treat the following diseases:
- gastritis and colitis;
- intestinal disorders;
- decreased immunity;
- oncological diseases;
- sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.
In local folk medicine, it is believed that truffles are aphrodisiacs.
Interestingly, even pregnant and lactating women can eat truffles. The only exceptions are those cases when there is an individual intolerance to certain substances that cause an allergic reaction. Here are the most common types:
- The false truffle has red-brown or grayish tints, often strongly reminiscent of a small potato. It is very easy to distinguish by its unpleasant smell - true representatives smell only of pleasant food aromas.
- Deer truffle , growing in Europe, the United States and Canada. People should not take it, but hares and squirrels happily feed on the fruiting bodies.
Cooking features
It is necessary to know how to properly prepare truffle dishes, because it would be very disappointing to spoil such an expensive ingredient. This mushroom goes very well with various fruits, as well as ham, veal and cheeses, which allows you to prepare delicious and unusual dishes, including foie gras paccher, foie gras aspic and turkey with truffles, famous in many cuisines around the world. The famous Strasbourg pie is also filled with these mushrooms.
It is worth noting that the taste of truffle pulp is self-sufficient and allows you to prepare dishes that are quite simple, but at the same time amazing in taste.
Truffle sauce
Ideal for dishes made from pasta, potatoes, meat, as well as sea and river fish or vegetables.
Ingredients for cooking:
- medium-sized black truffle;
- a quarter cup of white truffle oil;
- ½ cup heavy cream;
- a glass of white wine;
- a teaspoon of chopped garlic;
- a tablespoon of chopped shallots;
- 0.2 kg butter;
- a pinch of white pepper;
- chives;
- salt to taste.
Mix the truffle oil and butter, shape into a square and place in the freezer for a few minutes. Stir in the garlic, shallots and white wine, then add the pepper and salt, then boil for 2-3 minutes in a saucepan. Add cream and simmer for a couple more minutes. Cut the frozen butter into medium-sized cubes and add to the sauce. After the butter has dissolved, cool the sauce and add chopped black truffle and chives.
Istrian fuži with truffles
A classic and very popular Croatian dish with mushrooms.
Ingredients for cooking:
- 0.35 g flour;
- a tablespoon of refined vegetable oil;
- a pair of eggs;
- a couple of tablespoons of white wine;
- salt;
- 0.1 kg truffles;
- 0.1 kg of dried or smoked ham;
- 0.1 kg parmesan;
- butter;
- fresh herbs;
- salt and spices.
Add eggs to the flour passed through a sieve and pour in refined vegetable oil, and then wine, add a little water and a pinch of salt, then knead a fairly thick dough. Roll out into a fairly thin layer and cut into squares measuring 5 x 5 cm. Connect the opposite corners of the squares and, lowering them into boiling water, boil until tender. Drain the water and add butter.
To prepare the mushroom sauce, you need to fry the chopped truffle and small pieces of ham over medium heat with the addition of butter, basic spices and salt. At the final stage, pour in a small amount of broth and boil for several minutes. Season with fuji mushroom sauce, sprinkle the dish with chopped herbs and grated Parmesan.
Methods for recognizing the fungus and its habitats
You can find truffles without the help of animals. First, you need to understand exactly where mushrooms live. To do this, you can look at photos of places where truffles grow, and also study detailed information. Secondly, you need to know exactly what a mushroom should look like.
You can take a picture of a truffle with you into the forest. The mushroom looks like a medium-sized potato tuber. It has a rough surface and a dense peel. The mushroom is hard to the touch.
Its color may vary. Growing in the ground, it can be stained by soil. Large fruiting bodies may emerge to the surface. Especially if it rained before harvesting, the soil was washed away. Their location can be recognized by tubercles that look like wormholes.
Truffles do not grow alone. If you managed to find a single copy, you need to look nearby for others. They can be smaller in size and buried deeper in the ground. The presence of a strange swarm of flies nearby may also indicate the growth of mushrooms.
Truffle insects like to lay eggs in the ground near the fruiting bodies. Their larvae feed on the fungus. If a yellowish swarm is hovering in a place that matches the description, then you need to take a closer look at other characteristic signs.
Similar species
There are several related species similar to the white truffle. However, none of them grow in Russia:
- Choriomyces magnusii.
Grows in the warm climate of southern Europe. In Spain it is considered a delicacy. It is distinguished by small fruiting bodies; the spores are covered not with thorns, but with warty growths.
- Tuber magnatum (Italian truffle, Piedmontese).
It has a yellow surface color and is always completely covered with soil. Slightly different smell and taste. They grow in Italy and adjacent parts of France.
1- Choriomyces magnusii. 2- Tuber magnatum.
- Terfesia arenaria (sand truffle).
- Terfesia leptoderma (soft-bodied truffle).
The shape is more spherical and smooth. Edible, there is information that fans eat them raw.
1- Terfesia arenaria (sand truffle). 2- Terfesia leptoderma (soft-bodied truffle).
There are no poisonous mushrooms among the listed varieties.
Where to buy truffle mycelium? Infection of the tree root system
It is necessary to purchase mycelium only in specialized stores and from trusted sellers. In order to infect one seedling with mycelium, you will need approximately 150 grams of fresh or 100 grams of dry mycelium. Its cost will be in the range of 500-1500 rubles - it all depends on the supplier and quality.
It will be easier to infect the root system of an adult tree with fungal spores, but in this case the likelihood that the mycelium will take root well is small, so the root system of the seedlings is usually treated with a substrate containing mycelium. Oak and walnut are best suited for this. When using the latter, you can get double benefits. Seedlings are taken 30-50 cm high and inoculated with spores of French black, summer or Chinese truffle.
To infect the roots of the trees, they are treated with a mixture of peat and liquid mycelium substrate - this is done in a container, after which the trees are quarantined for 2 weeks.
It is imperative to use personal hygiene products, and the room must be sterile. After this, the seedlings are placed in the ground, the final overgrowing of the roots with mycelium occurs after 11-12 months .
