What Is a Truffle? Best Ways to Use Them, and More!

Truffles are considered a gourmet delicacy by many in the culinary industry. What is a truffle mushroom and why are they so expensive? Read on to find out more about these delicious mushrooms and how world-renowned chefs use their distinctive flavors in their dishes.

What is a Truffle?

Truffles are edible fungi with unique growing and harvest­ing condi­tions. Fresh truffles or truffle-infused products are added to dishes for their distinct flavor. They're extremely difficult to harvest and lose their potency quickly after they've been harvested. They're among the most expensive food items in the world. They can cost up to $4,000 per pound, with Italian white truffles being the most expensive variety.

Truffles, now grown and collected worldwide, develop underground near tree roots in damp forests. Female pigs were traditionally used to hunt for truffles because of their refined sense of smell and ability to smell androstenol, a hormone found in both truffles and the saliva of male pigs. Truffles are usually found by dogs these days. Dogs, once trained, are unlikely to eat the truffles once they smell them out.

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Uses of Truffles in the Culinary World

Truffles are usually found at restaurants serving high-end cuisine. However, they're not difficult to get at specialty stores like Urbani,Eataly, and D'artagnan.

You can use them in different ways depending on which type you can get. The best thing about incorporating fresh truffles into any recipe is that they're easy to use raw. Some classic ways to enjoy fresh truffles include shaving them over pasta, pizza or risotto.

What Do Truffles Taste Like?

It may be different for everyone, but most people describe truffle flavors as having a nutty taste and earthy smell and flavor. They're sometimes also described as tasting bitter and rich. Some people find that truffles it has hints of garlicky flavor too.

How Do You Store Truffles?

White truffles should be eaten within five days, while black and burgundy truffles can last up to two weeks if they're kept properly. To keep the delicate flavors and aroma of truffles, keep it intact, wrap them in a paper towel, put them into an airtight container like a jar with a lid, and keep them in the coolest section of your refrigerator. Moisture is a truffle's worst enemy so it's best to change the tissue every day to keep it dry.

Truffle-Based Products

You don't need to spend a lot of money on truffles if you don't want to. There's also truffle oil available. However, most assortment of truffle products available today is not made from actual truffles. The main ingredients of these imitations are chemicals such as (2,4-Dithiapentane) to imitate the smell and taste of real truffles.

You can buy quality truffle oil from the same stores where you'd buy fresh truffles. They can be used to enhance sauces, spreads, and dressings. Make sure that truffles are listed among the first few ingredients, but don't forget that a small amount of truffle olive oils go a long way.

White and Black Truffles: The Difference

You can easily distinguish between white and black truffle varieties just by looking at them. White truffles have a smooth texture, whereas black truffles have a rough texture. White truffles have a smoother, rounded surface compared to the rough and bumpy texture of black truffle. The insides of white and black truffles differ from each other, too. Both white truffles and black truffles have marbling patterns inside them, but white truffles are usually lighter colored while black truffles usually have very dark interiors and white-marbled patterns. Black truffles have a milder flavor than white truffles.

Types of Truffles

Black Périgord Truffle

It's called "truffles" because they're harvested from the French region of Périgord. Native to Europe, these truffles have an earthy flavor and their insides are marbled with black and white lines. Black Périgords are usually used as garnishing, being shaved or grained onto a finished dish rather than being cooked into it.

Winter Truffle

Also known as the “black winter truffle” or the “brumale truffle", it looks similar to other black counterparts, but has a bumpy outer surface and is very dark in color. Like the Périgord truffle, the winter truffle's white and brown interiors look similar. They're also known for having a very strong smell and taste.

Black Summer Truffle

Summer truffles have typically dark brown exteriors and they have a skin that is slightly thicker than that of a Périgord truffle and they have small warts on their surface. Inside the summer truffle has an off-white or light brown color with subtle marbled throughout. It's usually hunted for during the summer months.

Burgundy Truffle

The Burgundy truffles have a dark brown or black outer skin with small bumps with dark brown interior with intricate marbling throughout. Burgundy truffles are considered to be stronger tasting than summer truffles, but they look similar. As with most truffles (and edible mushrooms), the Burgundy truffles thrive best when they're growing underground.

Bianchetto Truffle

Also known as a spring white truffle, this particular variety is known to have a variety of colors. You can mostly find them with a tan to medium brown shade with some dark spots throughout the surface. They may even resemble a russet potato because it doesn't have the same bumpy surface that most black truffles have. Its interior is a medium brown with white marbling and they may be related to white alba truffles. You can also interchange them in any dish for truffles.

White Alba Truffles

White Alba Truffles are one of the popular types of white truffles, mainly because they're so flavorful. Bianchettos are lighter in color than Bianchetto truffles and are far more prized. This truffle is usually found in the Piemonte and Marche regions of Northern Italy. If you're planning to buy any of these truffles for yourself, be aware that they are among the most expensive truffles varieties available.

Why Are Truffles So Expensive?

Truffles are pretty much a coveted commodity in the culinary world. In general, edible truffle mushrooms are expensive because of the labor-intensive process to collect them. Truffles are usually discovered by pigs or hunting dogs that smell them from below ground. Since they grow underground, they're hard to find. It also depends on the availability of truffles.Truffle production depends on both the climate and season, so they're not always available year-round. Truffles can be spoiled quickly if they're not stored properly, which increases their cost even more.

How to Cook with Truffles

You may be surprised to learn that truffle flavor really blossoms when they're cooked in fat. This explains why you might see truffled creams or butter or even truffle-infused sauces or mixtures used for cooking eggs.

You can use a truffle slicer to grate or shave fresh truffles over scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, steamed vegetables like asparagus, fresh pasta, risotto, and more. Truffles should not be cooked at all; instead, they should simply be shaved or grated over a warm plate. High heat will ruin their taste.

You can use truffle oil for finishing dishes like pasta dishes, pizzas, or french fries, but truffle butter can be used for cooking with or melting and drizzling onto popcorn, pasta, or anything else.

Ready to Impress?

Impress your customers and even friends and family with your newfound knowledge about this amazing ingredient. In your kitchen, you may want to invest in different quality ovens and kitchen equipment for long-term cooking for your restaurant or home. 

Here at Culinary Depot, we offer choices perfect for outfitting your commercial kitchen or even at home. Contact us today!