The Culinary Wonder Called Truffle Mushroom

Have you ever heard about truffles? No, we’re not talking about a type of chocolate here, but rather a rare and precious mushroom that grows in the wild. This mushroom variety is edible, though. If you’re fond of mushroom-filled dishes, you may have seen truffle mushroom quite a number of times on the restaurant menu. Yes, truffles are known all over the world not only as fungi, but also as an exquisite delicacy that’s meant to be savored along with other gourmet dishes.

You can tell that a mushroom is a truffle if it has a thick, rough, and wrinkled outer skin. It is usually black, white, or brown, depending on its variety.

These mushrooms come in many varieties, which are classified according to the season when they are harvested. The most familiar among these truffle varieties is the black winter truffle, also popularly known as the umbria truffle, the black diamond truffle, the French black truffle, or the Perigord. With a diamond shape and black-grayish color, the black winter truffle gives off a very strong aroma and tastes earthy. The black winter truffle is harvested from December to March.

Another in-demand truffle variety is the white winter truffle that features a tan, smooth exterior skin and a creamy white flesh. Also known as the Piedmont truffle or white diamond truffle, this mushroom tastes like garlic and smells sweeter than the black winter truffle. It is also more expensive than its better known brother because demand for it out numbers supply. White winter truffles are harvested between October and December.

Other varieties of truffle mushroom include white summer truffle and black summer truffle. Harvested from January through April, white summer truffle is the least popular among the main types of truffles. Its meat is off-white with traces of tan, while its outer skin is white or tan. The mildly aromatic black summer truffle has a tannish white inner flesh and brownish black wrinkled outer skin. There is plenty of supply of this mushroom variety from June to November.

Truffles grow close to the roots of trees such as oaks, hazelnut, chestnut, and red alder. Most of them are buried about 2 to 3 inches deep to the ground. Other truffle varieties can be found in as deep as 15 inches from the ground. Truffles grow best in a warm and humid climate, just like other species of fungus. 

The truffle mushroom is an expensive delicacy, with prices ranging from $250 to $450 per pound. It’s mainly because of the consistent high demand for it. What also makes truffle prices soar is the difficulty of finding and harvesting these mushrooms. Typically, truffles are hunted by dogs and pigs that are specially trained so that they can use their sharp sense of smell to find truffles and to dig them. It didn’t help that in 2003, France suffered a heat wave, which took a toll on the living environment of truffles.

This weather phenomenon resulted in a significant decrease of truffle harvest, which in turn raised the prices of the most sought-after culinary ingredient. 
