A sought-after and luxurious umami culinary delicacy, truffles represent the epitome of exclusivity. With over 100 species, truffles are still extremely rare due to the unbelievable difficulty in cultivating them, as well as the length of time required for rearing.
Truffles are the rarest and most expensive fungi, similar in nature to mushrooms. Found in close proximity to tree roots, a truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus.
With a pungent aroma and distinctly earthy taste, the exquisite flavor of truffles has positioned the fungi as a firm favorite on Michelin-star menus across the globe. Much harder to come by than your standard fungi, truffles are highly nutritious, rich in antioxidants, and possess a range of other health-benefiting properties.
What are truffles?
Often mistaken for the chocolate kind, truffles are fungi produced in many corners of the earth, including France, Italy, New Zealand, China, North Africa, the Middle East, and the Pacific Northwest.
Truffles can grow naturally but are more commonly reared by specialist farmers. With the process taking in excess of three years, special fungi spores are injected into oak or hazelnut trees when the trees are just beginning to grow.
The truffles begin attaching themselves to the tree roots while helping the tree get nourishment from the soil, while the tree roots provide glucose to the growing truffles.
Truffle hunting then ensues, with trained dogs or pigs used to locate the truffle aromas, however, it is not a reliable process. Truffles contain androstenol, a sex hormone, which causes aphrodisiac-like effects on animals, helping them locate the distinctive truffle scent.
A single truffle can cost up to $3,800, with the most expensive truffle option, tuber mangnatum, colloquially known as the Italian white truffle, averaging at $214.26 per ounce.
What Do Truffles Look Like?
Often described as looking similar to their chocolate counterpart, truffles are usually round, lumpy, and approximately the size of a golf ball, with a firm, spongy texture.
Truffles most commonly come in the form of black truffles and white truffles, with the former having a rougher exterior, whereas white truffles tend to resemble a rough-skinned potato on the outside. On the inside, they are both marbled in a similar pattern to wagyu beef, although the black and white varieties have slightly different marbling.
What Do Truffles Taste Like?
‘Earthy’ and of course ‘mushroom-like’ are the most common descriptions of the taste of truffles. Musky, garlicky, woody, and even meaty, are all words used to describe the taste of the prized truffle.
The often overpowering aroma is usually stronger than its taste, with darker truffles tending to taste stronger than white species. Surprisingly, the taste of a truffle varies based on the location it was grown in and the time of harvesting – even the same species can differ in taste.
What is the difference between truffles and mushrooms?
The two bear striking resemblances, both being prominent members of the fungi family, however, there are some notable differences; they grow in different places (truffles grow underground, whereas mushrooms grow above ground), thrive in different climates, and taste remarkably different.
Although many people consider truffles to be a form of a mushroom due to both being fungi with fruiting bodies (the part of the fungus that reproduces spores), mushrooms disperse their spores out in the open, whereas truffles rely on animals to distribute their spore sacs throughout the surrounding area through their feces.
What are the benefits of truffles?
Not only are truffles a staple in any high-end chef’s kitchen, but they are also packed full of beneficial nutrients. Containing a healthy dosage of carbs, protein, fiber and a whole host of other health-benefiting nutrients, truffles can be a great addition to your diet, as long as you don’t mind the price tag.
Truffles are a great source of antioxidants, which may reduce your risk of chronic conditions. Additionally, truffles contain antibacterial properties that can help decrease the growth of specific harmful strains of bacteria, with one study showing a 66% decrease in Staphylococcus aureus.
Although research is insufficient at this stage, truffles are known to contain anti-cancer properties. One study showed that truffles helped slow the growth of liver, lung, colon, and breast tumor cells, with ‘anti-tumour’ activity found to be present.
Truffles may also help to reduce inflammation, promoting overall health, and reducing the likelihood of chronic disease, with one study showing that certain compounds in truffles could block the activity of specific enzymes key in the inflammation-causing process.