Description
The strong smell of the mushroom attracts wild pigs, who dig up the fruiting bodies and help spread the spores. Red fly larvae develop in truffles; adult insects often swarm above the ground; this can be used to search for fruiting bodies.
Season: November to March, usually collected in the first months of the year.
Mushrooms are traditionally collected with the help of trained pigs, but since these animals destroy forest soil, dogs began to be trained for this purpose.
Similar species
- Summer truffle ( Tuber aestivum) has lighter flesh and is not as flavorful.
- Winter truffle ( Tuber brumale) is found in more northern regions.
- Tuber macrosporum has an almost smooth surface.
Nutritional quality
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Literature
- Mushrooms: Directory / Transl. from Italian F. Dvin. - M.: “Astrel”, “AST”, 2001. - P. 281. - ISBN 5-17-009961-4.
- Grunert G. Mushrooms / trans. with him. - M.: “Astrel”, “AST”, 2001. - P. 276. - (Guide to nature). - ISBN 5-17-006175-7.
- Lesso T. Mushrooms, key / trans. from English L. V. Garibova, S. N. Lekomtseva. - M.: “Astrel”, “AST”, 2003. - P. 258. - ISBN 5-17-020333-0.
- Udu J. Mushrooms. Encyclopedia = Le grand livre des Champignons / trans. from fr. - M.: “Astrel”, “AST”, 2003. - P. 171. - ISBN 5-271-05827-1.
Links
- - article in the magazine “Around the World”
Notes
An excerpt characterizing the Black Truffle
“Look for books, books,” said another man, who was taking out Prince Andrei’s library cabinets. - Don't cling! It's heavy, guys, the books are great!- Yes, they wrote, they didn’t walk! – the tall, round-faced man said with a significant wink, pointing to the thick lexicons lying on top.
Rostov, not wanting to impose his acquaintance on the princess, did not go to her, but remained in the village, waiting for her to leave. Having waited for Princess Marya's carriages to leave the house, Rostov sat on horseback and accompanied her on horseback to the path occupied by our troops, twelve miles from Bogucharov. In Yankov, at the inn, he said goodbye to her respectfully, allowing himself to kiss her hand for the first time.
“Aren’t you ashamed,” he answered Princess Marya, blushing, to the expression of gratitude for her salvation (as she called his action), “every police officer would have done the same.” If only we had to fight with the peasants, we would not have allowed the enemy so far away,” he said, ashamed of something and trying to change the conversation. “I’m only happy that I had the opportunity to meet you.” Farewell, princess, I wish you happiness and consolation and wish to meet you under happier conditions. If you don't want to make me blush, please don't thank me.
But the princess, if she did not thank him in more words, thanked him with the whole expression of her face, beaming with gratitude and tenderness. She couldn't believe him, that she had nothing to thank him for. On the contrary, what was certain for her was that if he had not existed, she would probably have died from both the rebels and the French; that, in order to save her, he exposed himself to the most obvious and terrible dangers; and what was even more certain was that he was a man with a high and noble soul, who knew how to understand her situation and grief. His kind and honest eyes with tears appearing on them, while she herself, crying, talked to him about her loss, did not leave her imagination.
When she said goodbye to him and was left alone, Princess Marya suddenly felt tears in her eyes, and here, not for the first time, she was presented with a strange question: does she love him?
On the way further to Moscow, despite the fact that the princess’s situation was not happy, Dunyasha, who was riding with her in the carriage, more than once noticed that the princess, leaning out of the carriage window, was smiling joyfully and sadly at something.
“Well, what if I loved him? - thought Princess Marya.
Ashamed as she was to admit to herself that she was the first to love a man who, perhaps, would never love her, she consoled herself with the thought that no one would ever know this and that it would not be her fault if she remained without anyone for the rest of her life. speaking of loving the one she loved for the first and last time.
Sometimes she remembered his views, his participation, his words, and it seemed to her that happiness was not impossible. And then Dunyasha noticed that she was smiling and looking out the carriage window.
“And he had to come to Bogucharovo, and at that very moment! - thought Princess Marya. “And his sister should have refused Prince Andrei!” “And in all this, Princess Marya saw the will of Providence.
The impression made on Rostov by Princess Marya was very pleasant. When he remembered about her, he became cheerful, and when his comrades, having learned about his adventure in Bogucharovo, joked to him that, having gone for hay, he picked up one of the richest brides in Russia, Rostov became angry. He was angry precisely because the thought of marrying the meek Princess Marya, who was pleasant to him and with a huge fortune, came into his head more than once against his will. For himself personally, Nikolai could not wish for a better wife than Princess Marya: marrying her would make the countess - his mother - happy, and would improve his father’s affairs; and even - Nikolai felt it - would have made Princess Marya happy. But Sonya? And this word? And this is why Rostov got angry when they joked about Princess Bolkonskaya.
Truffle is an edible member of the Truffle family.
Appearance
The fruiting bodies of truffle mushrooms are round or tuberous in shape and range in size from 2.5 to 10 centimeters. Their surface is dark in color - from bluish-black to brown-black. It often contains pyramidal warts, but there are also types with a smooth surface.
The pulp of a young truffle is dense, while that of a mature one is loose. At first it is whitish, but as it ages it becomes brownish-yellow. When cut, the light veins inside the pulp give it a marbled color. The taste of truffle pulp is sweetish, reminiscent of a nut. The aroma of the mushroom is pleasant, similar to the smell of algae.
Kinds
The most common types of truffle are:
Summer
It is found in central Europe, including Russia (its second name is “black Russian”). It is valued less than other types of this mushroom. The ripening season for this truffle is summer and the first month of autumn.
Ginger
Grows in Europe and North America. It can also be found in Siberia.
White
This truffle can be found in the northern regions of Italy and neighboring regions of France. It is also called Italian or Piedmontese. The surface of such truffles is brownish or light ocher in color. The inside of the mushroom is dense, whitish or yellow-gray, its marbled pattern is cream or white. This type of truffle smells similar to cheese with garlic. Its collection is usually carried out in October.
Black
It is considered the most valuable among mushrooms of this species. It grows most often in France. The second name of such a mushroom is associated with the area of growth - Perigord mushroom. It is distinguished by a reddish-brown-black surface color, dark pulp, characteristic odor and pleasant taste. This truffle grows in winter and is harvested in January-March.
Winter
This mushroom grows in Switzerland and France. It is also found in Ukraine. Its main difference is the ripening period (November-March).
Where does it grow
Truffle is an underground mushroom. It usually grows at shallow depths, and old truffles may appear on the surface. You can find such a mushroom in forests - both deciduous and mixed (truffles appear extremely rarely among coniferous trees). It loves calcareous soils and often grows under the roots of birches, oaks, hornbeams, and beeches.
This type of mushroom grows in Central Europe. In Russia, it can be found in the Caucasus on the Black Sea coast. Truffle searches are carried out by specially trained dogs and pigs. Over the places where truffles grow, in the evening (at sunset) you can see swarms of yellowish flies.
How to choose and where to buy
Since the mushroom has a short shelf life (2-4 days after picking), it is therefore eaten fresh only during the picking season. These mushrooms are not sold in regular supermarkets. They can be purchased in specialized departments and directly from suppliers. Most often, truffles are purchased in small quantities for restaurants. For long-term storage, truffles can be preserved and frozen. Mushrooms are transported in special containers, sometimes immersed in olive oil or covered with rice.
Why are truffles so expensive?
The cost of this type of mushroom is very high. A kilogram of this delicacy costs from 400 euros. The high cost of truffles is due to the difficulties of growing, the seasonality of obtaining this mushroom, as well as the high taste and aromatic qualities of the product.
The value of truffles is primarily influenced by the size of the specimens. The larger the mushroom, the higher its cost. The most expensive are the large mushrooms (like apples), but less than 1% of all collected mushrooms will grow such truffles. About 10% of the harvest is nut-sized - these truffles are classified as Extra grade. About 30% of mushrooms the size of a grape are collected. The remaining mushrooms are even smaller, so they are cheaper and are used mainly for making sauces.
Characteristics
- The mushroom is considered a gourmet food.
- It has a mushroom taste, mixed with the taste of nuts or seeds. When truffles are placed in water, they have a taste similar to soy sauce.
- Truffle has a strong characteristic odor.
Nutritional value and calorie content
100 g of truffles contains:
Chemical composition
By consuming truffles, a person receives with them:
- proteins;
- vitamins C, PP, B1 and B2;
- carbohydrates represented by mono- and disaccharides;
- minerals;
- pheromones;
- alimentary fiber;
- antioxidants.
Beneficial features
- The presence of pheromones in truffles improves a person’s emotional state.
- This type of mushroom contains many antioxidants.
- Truffle juice can treat eye diseases.
- A positive effect of consuming truffles for gout patients has been noted.
Harm
- Individual intolerance (extremely rare).
- Digestive problems.
Application
In cooking
- A serving of truffle for one dish is rarely more than 5-8 grams. The mushroom is weighed in a restaurant on very precise scales.
- Often truffle acts as an addition to the main dish. The mushroom is cut on a special grater.
- This mushroom goes well with any food, especially with dishes that do not have a particularly pronounced taste.
- In French cooking, truffles are most often combined with poultry, lobsters, eggs, and fruits.
- The mushroom can be served in its pure form, and to highlight the taste, it is served with creamy or wine sauce.
- Fillings for pies and truffle sauces are made from small truffles.
- Slices of mushroom are often used to decorate black caviar, snails and other exotic dishes.
You can learn even more about truffle mushrooms from the following video of the Galileo program.
In cosmetology
Cosmetologists in Italy include truffle extract in masks and skin creams. They claim that adding this mushroom to cosmetics helps tighten the skin, remove age spots, and cope with fine wrinkles.
Growing
The cultivation of the truffle mushroom in France began in 1808, when the first truffle oak trees were planted. Later, truffle groves were created, producing up to a thousand tons of mushrooms per year. The decline of the country's agricultural industry also affected truffle cultivation. Every year, fewer and fewer truffle mushrooms are harvested from French truffle mushroom plantations.
In addition to France, such mushrooms are grown in China (now this country is the leader in truffle cultivation), Great Britain, the United States, Sweden and Spain, as well as in Australia and New Zealand. Truffle grown in China has less aroma, but is attractive due to its low price and great similarity in appearance and taste to its French counterpart. To improve the quality of mushrooms supplied from China, they are mixed with truffles grown in France.
- It is believed that truffle contains a substance with psychotropic effects. It's called anandamide.
- Due to the unknown origin of the mushroom, which was not known for a long time, many legends have appeared around the truffle. The ancient Romans considered this mushroom to be healing and enhance potency. In the Middle Ages, truffles were given mystical powers. During the Renaissance, this mushroom was considered an aphrodisiac.
- The use of truffles in cooking began in the 15th century by Italian chefs.
- Truffles were grown in the Moscow province, and bears whose teeth had been pulled out were involved in their collection.
- In the village of Lorgues en Provence there is a restaurant whose menu features a large number of dishes with truffles.
Content
Most Russians are accustomed to calling chocolate candies with a characteristic tart taste truffles. However, these candies got their name due to their external resemblance to unusual mushrooms. The latter are considered expensive and are especially appreciated by gourmets. When searching for a delicacy, difficulties often arise because it grows at a depth of 15 cm. If you are interested in the question of where real expensive truffles grow in Russia, then you need to figure out what climatic conditions are suitable for them.
What is a truffle
Truffles belong to the fungi of the marsupial genus, which have underground tuberous fleshy fruiting bodies. Their unsightly appearance belies their excellent taste and aroma. Once you try the delicacy, you will remember it for the rest of your life. It smells like an autumn forest: fallen leaves, earth, wet trees. Fresh truffles have a very strong aroma. Even if cooking is not your hobby, making truffles is easy.
The mushroom is located underground between the roots of beech, hornbeam, oak, birch, poplar, elm, linden, rowan, hawthorn and other trees. As it develops, it pulls all vital elements from the roots without causing any harm to the tree. Truffles love deciduous, mixed forests, soil with lime. Ripening time is from late summer to late autumn. The standard size of mushrooms is 10-15 cm, their weight is up to 500 g. Plants are found in the Volga region, Moscow, Oryol, Vladimir, Samara, Leningrad regions, the Caucasus and the shores of the Black Sea.
What does a truffle mushroom look like?
The fruiting bodies are round, tuberous in shape and have a fleshy, cartilaginous consistency. If we talk about size, it varies from a hazelnut to a potato tuber. On the outside, the fruiting bodies have a leathery layer called the peridium. It can be smooth, cracked, or covered with large polyhedral warts. If you cut the fruiting body, the tissue pattern will resemble marble. The shiny truffle inside has alternating light and dark veins: the light ones are called “internal veins”, the dark ones are called “external veins”.
Why truffle is the most expensive mushroom in the world
Truffles are called royal mushrooms - one of the most expensive. You can find sellers offering a kilo for over $4,000. The value of the product is explained by its rarity, unsurpassed taste and aroma. French and Italian have become famous throughout the world. There are two truffle capitals: Grignan and Aqualagna: here the fruits are collected almost all year round: white in autumn, black in winter, banchetto in spring, black summer truffles in summer.
White fruits are exquisite. They cannot be bred; they grow in very limited areas. For example, in Piedmont mushrooms are found only in Langhe, sometimes found in Monferrato, Roero, around Turin. The high price of such products is due to high demand and low supply. They differ in seasonality; they are on sale from October to January (the price depends on the variety). The most expensive delicacy is white. One day, a product weighing 1.2 kg was put up and sold at an Italian auction, its price was 95,000 euros.
Do truffles grow in Russia?
The Russian truffle is called the black summer mushroom - Tuber aestivum (from Latin). They reach a diameter of 10 cm, weight is 400 g. Age is determined by the pulp: its color is whitish, yellow-brown, gray-brown. As the fruiting body ripens, its consistency changes: in young mushrooms it is dense, in old mushrooms it is loose. The taste of truffle is slightly sweet, the aroma is reminiscent of hazelnuts and seaweed. The delicacy is found in Europe, the western part of Russia, under pine, hazel, and oak trees. The fruits can be found from June to October.
Summer black (Tuber aestivum)
This type of fruit is usually called Saint-Jean, scorzone, edible, Burgundy. The ripening period lasts all summer and ends in late autumn. The northern regions of Russia are distinguished by a different fruiting time - from mid-summer to November. Tuber aestivum is found at a depth of 3-15 cm. The fruits are located in groups or singly, form mycorrhiza with beeches, oaks, hornbeams, and are rarely located near birches and pines. They are often found in the southwest of Russia, on the Black Sea coast.
Winter black
The fruit is covered with warts 2-3 cm in size, its diameter reaches 20 cm. The fresh fruit has a reddish-violet tint on the outside, after harvesting the color darkens and becomes black. The truffle pulp is white, then turns gray and becomes gray-violet with many white, yellowish veins. The weight of such a fruit can be more than a kilogram. It often grows in Ukrainian, French, and Italian lands. Ideal places for plants are birch, oak groves, and beech forests. Active fruiting - from November to March. The truffle aroma is reminiscent of musk.
White truffle
The price of the product is significantly higher than previous ones. Resembles Jerusalem artichoke tubers measuring 5-15 cm. Weight can be more than 1.5 kg. If you go for mature truffles, keep in mind that the surface of the mushroom is felt, while in young specimens it is smooth. When ripe, pits and protrusions appear on the outside, the color becomes light brown, yellowish. The pulp is white, in older fruits it is grayish with yellowish veins. The mushrooms have a nutty aroma. The older the fruit, the stronger the smell. “Tubers” are found in Vladimir, Smolensk, and Kuibyshev forests from late July to early November.
Where does truffle grow in Russia?
If you are interested in where truffles grow in Russia, then go to the Volga region, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol, Samara, Leningrad regions of the country. The ripening period is all autumn months, the fruiting time is the end of autumn and the beginning of winter. The fruits are small in size - about 15 cm, weigh up to 500 g, and grow at a depth of 10-15 cm.
The black variety is considered a summer delicacy. It is found in the Caucasus, on the Black Sea coast, in the Moscow and Vladimir regions. Black specimens like to develop in deciduous and mixed forests with limestone soil, near the roots of oak, beech, hornbeam, and hazel. The diameter of white fruits is up to 10 cm. Ripening and fruiting time is early summer - late autumn.
european part of Russia
Both black (Russian) and white (Polish) fruits are found. The first variety breeds on Podolsk, Belgorod, Tver, Leningrad soil. The Voronezh forest is famous for its large number of delicacies. Near St. Petersburg, black mushrooms are rare, but the white variety grows on Oryol and Tula soil. Remember that the warmer the climate, the greater the likelihood of finding a treat.
Caucasus and Crimea
These areas are known for their mild climate: there is everything for the active growth of the delicacy. There are many oak and beech groves concentrated here, which is favorable for the development of mushrooms. Large quantities are found on the Crimean land (steppe regions), the Northern and Western Caucasus, and in North Ossetia - Alania. It is worth highlighting Anapa, Gelendzhik, the village of Abrau-Dyurso, Western Caucasus: Adagum-Pshishsky district.
Delicacy mushrooms in Siberia
Many people, wondering where real expensive white truffles grow in Russia, do not suspect that the delicacy can grow on Siberian soil. The delicacy was first discovered in these places in the 19th century. The fruits grow both singly and in groups; they like to be located in deciduous and coniferous forests. Many porcini mushrooms are found on Tomsk soil. Recently, residents of the region began to collect kilograms of fruits, which is explained by favorable climatic conditions and active fruiting.
How to look for truffles
To find a truffle in the forest, you need to have special knowledge. They are found near tree roots: often found near oak trees. Try to look for fruits not in clearings. Based on practice, such areas are not distinguished by a large number of mushrooms. It is desirable to have black soil with high humidity. Before you go searching, consider the following:
- Examine the fruits in advance, live or in photographs.
- Prepare to search for animals: specially trained pigs or dogs are suitable.
For a “silent hunt” to be successful, focus on some features of the area. The rules for mushroom picking are as follows:
- The “truffle” region, where the delicacy is located, is distinguished by stunted vegetation and gray-ashy soil.
- Mushrooms rarely come to the surface of the soil (sometimes this happens due to strong winds or heavy rains), so look for them in the ground at a depth of 10-15 cm.
- Pay attention to the tubercles, they should be dug out.
- Midges often circle over a place with mushrooms: the larvae feed on mushrooms, so the insects lay eggs nearby.
Features of growth
A favorable place for the development of truffles is a large number of tree roots and soil with loose soil with a large amount of sand and lime. Experienced mushroom pickers say that if you find one specimen, then you need to continue looking for several more nearby. Typically, you can find about 5 pieces. Often truffle develops in families, rarely - alone.
Searching for truffles in the forest
People have been collecting unusual mushrooms for many years. It is important to consider that there are false and real mushrooms. To return home with the desired loot, it is important to follow special technology:
- Go to the forest where there are beeches, birches, oaks, and hazels.
- Look for fruits near trees with large roots.
- If the search is carried out with the help of pigs, then they should be muzzled, because the animals really love to feast on mushrooms.
- Keep in mind the type of plant: its surface is rough, the flesh has a hard structure. The fruits resemble potato tubers in black or white shades.
Truffle hunting animals
Mushrooms have a very strong odor, which animals can easily detect even from a distance. For this reason, experienced mushroom pickers prefer to keep specially trained dogs or pigs. The latter are able to smell at a distance of 25 meters. Once the aroma is determined, the pig will actively dig for the delicacy. If there is no muzzle, then you need to make sure that the pig does not eat what you find.
As for dogs, they are indifferent to eating treats, so it is not necessary to put on a muzzle before searching. Before using these four-legged “sleuths,” it will take a long time to teach the rules of searching for mushrooms. The dog needs to be trained to smell. If you are planning to buy a trained dog, keep in mind that it costs more than 5,000 euros.
Growing truffles at home
The delicacy is grown at home. If you take into account the recommendations listed above, you will eventually get a great treat:
- It is first necessary to create a suitable microclimate, which should be the same in summer and winter. The mushroom does not like temperature changes.
- Start purchasing trees: oak, walnut, beech. The roots of the trees must be infected with truffle mycelium. The price of the version with disputes is 10-15 dollars.
- Choose places to plant trees: they should be protected from direct sunlight, wind, and animals.
- Pay attention to the soil, it should be alkaline. If necessary, add lime to the soil.
- Do not use any fertilizers before planting trees because they may negatively affect the development of spores.
- Plant purchased trees only after cultivating and preparing the soil. It is advisable to do this in early spring, when the weather outside is stable.
- Plant the tree in a 75 cm hole: pour water and only then place the plant in it.
- When planting, try not to damage the root system of the tree. Cover them with soil very carefully, then water them generously.
- Sprinkle mulch around the root system of the tree at a distance of 30-40 cm: use oak leaves from last year.
- The plants are covered with greenhouse film.
- To feed trees, use special ready-made fertilizers (how to use them is indicated on the packages).
Photo of truffle
Video
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Where in Russia do real expensive truffles grow - places where black and white grow?
Russian black truffle in Crimea
Lately I have been asked quite often the question: are there real black truffles in Russia? Not white, which Choiromyces meandriformis, but black, i.e. true representatives of the Truffle (Tuber) genus.
And like Vladimir Ilyich, I answer - there is such a party! I mean, it's like a mushroom.
Disputes about the reality of the Russian black truffle (or, as it is also called, the summer truffle) are conducted mainly because it is rarely found in all its habitats, and most importantly, they do not know how to look for it at all. Unlike white truffle, it comes to the surface much less willingly, and is much less visible due to its color. It hides well, in case you didn't understand :)
Nevertheless, on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and in the newly acquired Crimea, it grows in quantities completely sufficient for collection. Personally, this fall I will once again go to Crimea to harvest. Perhaps this will become a media campaign involving bloggers (currently being discussed).
So, below I will provide basic information on RCT to make information about this mushroom more accessible.
NAME
rus. Black Russian truffle
Synonyms:
Summer truffle, edible truffle, Burgundy truffle
lat. Tuber aestivum Vittad. (1831)
Synonyms:
Tuber albidum Cesalpino (1583)
Tuber blotii Deslongchamps (1824)
Tuber cibarium Sowerby (1797)
Tuber nigrum Allioni (1785)
Tuber uncinatum Chatin (1887)
SYSTEMATICS
The mushroom belongs to the genus Truffle (lat. Tuber) of the Truffle family (lat. Tuberaceae). It belongs to the so-called ascomycetes, or marsupial fungi. Its close relatives are morels and stitches. The full taxonomic position of the black Russian truffle is as follows:
Kingdom: Mykota (Mushrooms)
Department: Ascomycota (Ascomycetes, Marsupial fungi)ber
Subdivision: Pezizomycotina
Class: Pezizomycetes
Order: Pezizales
Family: Tuberaceae (Truffles)
Genus: Tuber (Truffle)
Species: Tu ber aestivum (Black Russian truffle)
DESCRIPTION
Fruit bodies are 2.5-10 cm in diameter, bluish-black, black-brown, the surface with large pyramidal warts of black-brown color. The pulp is first yellowish-white or grayish, later brownish or yellow-brown, with numerous whitish veins forming a characteristic marble pattern, at first very dense, in older mushrooms it is looser. The taste of the pulp is nutty, sweetish, the smell is pleasant, strong, sometimes it is compared to the smell of algae or forest litter. The fruiting bodies are underground, usually lying at shallow depths; old mushrooms sometimes appear above the surface.
Spore powder is yellow-brown, spores 30×24 µm, fusiform or oval, reticulate.
It forms mycorrhiza with oak, beech, hornbeam and other broad-leaved trees, less often with birches, even more rarely with pine trees, grows shallowly (3-15 cm, although sometimes up to 30 cm) in the soil in deciduous and mixed forests, mainly on calcareous soils.
In different regions of the Russian Federation, truffles ripen at different times, and they can be collected from the end of July to the end of November.
This is the only representative of the Tuber genus in Russia. Information about the presence of winter truffle (Tuber brumale) has not been confirmed.
SPREADING
The main regions in which the Russian black truffle bears fruit quite often and annually are the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus and the forest-steppe zone of Crimea. Over the past 150 years, individual discoveries have occurred in other regions of the European part of Russia: in Podolsk, Tula, Belgorod, Oryol, Pskov and Moscow regions. In the Podolsk province, the mushroom was so common that local peasants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. were collecting and selling it. Information about this was published by V. Gomilevsky (“On the black truffle in the forests of the Baltic and southern parts of the Olgopolsky and Yampolsky districts of the Polish province,” Forest Journal, 1874, No. 1, pp. 22-31) and in a 1902 review in the journal "New time".
I also have oral reports of RCT finds in the Leningrad, Tver and Pskov regions.
The first reliable mention of the discovery of RCT in Crimea should be attributed to the note of 1873 by N.K. Sredinsky (“Materials for the flora of the Novorossiysk region and Bessarabia”), who claimed that “The black truffle is found on the southern coast of Crimea in Faros - near the Baydar Gate.”
The first serious source on RCT should be considered the 1902 monograph “Materials on the morphology and systematics of underground fungi” by the famous Russian mycologist, the first domestic specialist on underground fungi F.V. Buchholz.
Below you can look at a fragment of his book dedicated to RCT.
In the world, RCT is found in many European countries (possibly in all except the Scandinavian countries, the Baltic states, and Finland) and, according to some information, in North Africa. It is actively (but in small quantities) collected by the population of France, Spain, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria, mainly using specially trained dogs (mainly dachshunds and Yorkshire terriers) and, less often, pigs. Depending on the climate, RCT forms fruiting bodies from May to February.
A black diamond, the decoration of any table and a real delicacy in the world of mushrooms is the black truffle. It is highly valued by gourmets around the world, but not everyone can try it, since the cost of this delicacy is very high - 1 kilogram of truffle costs about 1000 euros! Why are people willing to pay through the nose just to taste this unusual mushroom? After reading the article, you will get acquainted with the description of truffle, find out where you can get it yourself, how to cook it correctly and what you eat it with.
Black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is also called Périgord or French. It belongs to the Truffle family, to the genus of marsupial fungi of the same name, numbering about 30 species. It got its name from the Périgord region, located in France. Edible and very tasty, highly valued by gourmets and mushroom fans, it is considered the most exquisite representative of the mushroom kingdom. It grows underground and for a long time was considered a generally inedible growth on the root of the host tree, similar to a tuber of earth. The structure is quite unusual compared to other mushrooms.
- the fruiting body is a modified apothecium, which is characteristic only of lichens and marsupial fungi. It is irregular or round, tuberous in shape, up to 9 cm in diameter, brown-red in color, changing over time to rich black (charcoal). If you press on the fruiting body, it will change color to reddish-rusty. Its entire surface is covered with small irregularities-warts, which can have up to 6 edges;
- The pulp (meat) is dense, hard, in young mushrooms it is light in color - from gray to brownish-pink, with age it turns dark to violet-black. If you cut a black truffle, you can see bizarre white and red patterns on the flesh, which are visible even in adult mushrooms. The taste of the meat is bitter, but pleasant, and the aroma is special and very strong;
- spores are oval or spindle-shaped, chocolate-colored spore powder.
Similar species and how to distinguish them from them
Sometimes the black truffle is confused with other species of the marsupial genus - summer and winter. The first differs from the hero of the article in that it has lighter flesh, and the second grows in the northern regions, unlike the black one.
Distribution and when to collect
The depth of truffles sometimes reaches 50 cm, which makes finding them very difficult for humans - which is why they are so expensive. The fungus prefers soils that are calcareous and not oversaturated with nutrients.
To try this mushroom, you will have to go to Europe. Although the Périgord truffle bears the name of an area in France, it is also common in other places and countries - it is collected in Spain and Italy and in the southwestern regions of France. The mushroom is also grown artificially in China.
The best time to hunt these truffles is from November to March. This mushroom is most often collected in the first months after the New Year.
Primary processing and preparation
Black truffles are famous throughout the world for their unique and unlike anything else taste. However, those who tried this delicacy for the first time sometimes do not immediately understand its charms. Therefore, connoisseurs always advise trying the mushroom at least twice. Truffle lovers say that they respect it most for its unique and unusual aroma, which contains notes of forest, chocolate or alcohol.
You can prepare a lot of different dishes from truffles. In its raw form, it is used as a seasoning, but more often during the cooking process the truffle is subjected to heat treatment. It reveals its taste well in egg dishes, is added to pastas, and goes well with rice.
The shelf life of these mushrooms is very short, and during the harvesting season of the delicacy, French restaurants very often organize real wars to be the first to buy truffles on the market and then prepare masterpieces of culinary art from them, which gourmets from all over the world come to try.
The truffle can be preserved for a short time: to keep it at least slightly edible, it is prepared using olive oil, frozen or stored in rice. You can also make a fragrant cream from this mushroom, which is eaten by spreading it on bread.
Search for truffles
To prepare a truffle, you first need to harvest it. This process is complex and requires serious preparation. They go hunting for mushrooms accompanied by specially trained dogs or pigs, who, thanks to their keen sense of smell, can smell a truffle even through a layer of soil. In this case, animals must not only discover its place of growth, but also carefully dig up the mushroom without damaging the roots of the tree or spoiling the fruiting body.
Another difficulty in finding and collecting truffles is that they grow singly, so you shouldn’t hope for a large harvest when you find one mushroom.
Red flies, a swarm of which will hover over its habitat, also help to find the place where the truffle grows. The fact is that the larvae of these insects develop in the fruiting bodies of mushrooms.
Truffles are also grown on farms. In this case, the mycelium is carefully planted and grafted onto the host tree artificially.
The special method of collection, the difficulty of storage, the extraordinary taste - all this makes the truffle such an expensive delicacy that not everyone can easily afford to order it in a restaurant. But on occasion, you should spare no expense and still try dishes with these unusual mushrooms and try to understand why the French love it so much.
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