Black truffles
all you need to know
Truffles are worth more than their weight in gold. Yep, you read that right.
Due to their scarcity and incomparable flavor and aroma, this otherwise unsuspecting fungi has caused an entire industry to go completely, well, bonkers.
Hunting truffles is a long and arduous process that isn’t for the faint of heart. While there are over 140 species of truffles, the French black and Italian white varieties are the most valued. And they certainly present a good game of hide and seek.
In order to find the fruiting fungi, the perfect weather conditions, ecosystem, lack of human interference coupled with the super-sniffing skills of very expensive, highly-trained animals is necessary. It's no walk in the park.
While there are many factors that lead to successfully foraging the delicacies, one thing is for certain; you can’t find truffles without the presence of trees. These black diamonds are found amongst oaks, beech, hazels or poplars. If you’re lucky enough to find them in the wild, you’ll soon see that they are a product of a larger ecosystem that connects the surrounding landscape.
Originally, truffles were sniffed out by highly trained pigs who did their job with great precision and accuracy. However, with their ability to locate the delicacy came an equal skill of gobbling them all up for themselves. Hunters quickly realized that you don’t get in between a pig and a truffle, even if it'll pay the mortgage… Enter, the canine.
The truffle-sniffing pig had its day, and has since been replaced by hunting canines. Pointers, Jack Russels, cockers and hounds have proven best for succesful truffle-hunting. While the dog does most of the work, it's not alone in the pursuit. When a truffle is located, it’s then the human hunter's responsibility to smell the rare find to determine if it is ripe and ready for harvesting. An unripe truffle is considered worthless in the culinary world, as the taste and aroma have yet to develop. Black truffles have a very strong, earthy smell - which oddly is not reflective of their taste. Instead, they are subtle in flavor with earthy, nutty, and meaty notes that are unique to not only the species, but to each individual truffle itself. The aroma has been described as utterly "intoxicating". Much like most agriculture, farming has taken over truffleculture - 70% of truffles are now cultivated. Climate change and the loss of natural woodlands hasn't helped, as wild truffles are even more rare to find naturally occurring than ever before. Since just the 19th century in France, the number has fallen from over 1,000 tonnes a season – to just 30. Some UK scientists believe that truffles could go extinct within 50 years if our current climate crisis remains.
Not only are truffles the most expensive food by weight in the world, they’re also an aphrodisiac. It’s clear why these rare mushrooms have been trafficked like drugs, and stolen by thugs.