Truffles are a
subterranean fungus generally growing around the Oak tree, but also the
Chestnut, the Hazel and the Beech. They are hypogeous versions of
mushrooms. They don't form a prominent stem and their spore-bearing
surfaces are enclosed. They rely on animals eating them to distribute
their spores, instead of air currents like mushrooms.
They can be
described as "gourmet mushroom". They have a pungent, intense,, earthy
fragrance and lend a unique flavour to food.They occur naturally mainly
in france and italy and are sometimes reffered to as ' Black gold' or
'black diamonds' because of their scarcity and worth.
There are hundreds
of different kinds of truffles, and while none are known to be
poisonous, only a few of them are considered to be delicacies by humans.
There are 70 known
varieties of truffles, 32 of which are found in Europe. One of the
highly valued is the Black Truffle of Perigord; it has black flesh
streaked with whitish veins whereas the white truffle of Piedmont has a
more delicate aroma.There are four commonly known types of truffles: the
white autumn truffles, the black winter truffles, the white spring
truffles, and the black summer truffles.
Truffles can
potentially be found almost anywhere there are trees. They usually occur
at the interface between the organic litter and the mineral soil, about
one to six inches deep, but can emerge to the surface or be more than a
foot deep.
Truffles begin to
appear several years after the inoculated seedlings are planted and
production can continue for decades. The onset and duration of
production depends to some extent on the species of host tree.Processing
includes cleaning, grading, washing, drying and warehousing.
The annual harvest
of French black truffles from France, Italy and Spain combined is
currently 50-80 tonnes. Truffle production in France occurs in the south
east and south west areas namely the Provence and Perigord regions.
Truffle production has increased in the Provence area and now accounts
for up to 75% of total French production.
Fresh French black
truffles are sold to all the finest restaurants in all corners of the
globe. Through the northern hemisphere winter they are served in the
great dining rooms of the world. The French are by far the largest
consumers of French black truffles with the balance being
exported.
French truffles are
considered one of the great foods of the world and when fresh in season
prices can be as high as $2,500 per kg at some of the exclusive fine
food outlets. In years of poor production wholesale prices to restaurants
can approach $2,000 per kg and in years of good production wholesale
prices can be as low as $1,400 per kg.
General
Truffle-FAQ
Truffle
Truffles
Truffles
Classification
Black
Truffles
Truffles
Slides
Types
Types of
Truffles
Tuber Magnatum -
Italian White Truffle
Tuber Melanosporum -
Perigord Black Truffle
Tuber Uncinatum -
Burgundy Truffle
Mycorrhizas
Growth and
Cultivation
Growing Truffles in
Pacific Northwest
TruffleCultivation
Cultivation of
Truffles
Truffle Cultivation
in Rural Spain
Collection and
Cultivation of Edible Fungi in Spain
Mushroom Cultivation
and Marketing
Cultivation of Black
Truffle to Promote Reforestation
Cultivation
of Edible Mushrooms
French Truffle
Cultivation
Cultivation of Burgundy Truffle in
Sweden
Truffle Cultivation
in New Zealand
Processing
Fresh Truffle
Picking
Fresh Truffle Processing
Conserving Magic
Mushrooms
How to Preserve
Truffle
Preserved
Truffles
Treatment of Fresh Truffle
Technology
Fungus Fever and
Truffle Trouble
NZ Truffle
Technology
Forest Thinning
on Truffle Abundance
Technology to
capture Mushroom Markets
New Technologies for
VHFN Industries
Canadian Patents
Database
Grater
for Truffles-US Patent
Products
Chocolate
Truffles
Black Truffle
Oil
Truffle
Creams
VPC
Products
Truffle and Mushroom
Products
Truffle
Salt
Splendid
Palate
Truffle Slicer
Fine Truffle
Products
Truffle Butter
Management,
Standard and Regulation
Principles of
Truffle Farming
PlantationEstablishment
Site
Selection
Global Import Risk
Analysis of Edible Mushrooms
Quality Control of
Fresh Truffle
UNECE Recommendation
Standard for Fresh Truffles
Standard for
Truffles
Truffle Trade and
Regulation
Regulations of
Truffle Market in Sainte Alvere
Project
Small Mushrooms, Big
Business
Cagli
Project
Edible Mushroom
Production in Turkey
Oak Valley Truffle
Project
Consultant
Christina
Weden
Avalon
Wine
Carla Ranicki
Guardian
Unlimited
Harold
W. Keller
JCU
Truffle Consulting
Services
Reports
Black Truffles /
Variety of Fungus
Black Truffles /
Variety of Mushroom
Truffle Association
of British Columbia-2005
British
Truffle-2006
Truffle Abundance in
Riparian
Sale of Italian Truffle
Phylogeny of North
American Truffles
UK
Truffles
Perigord
Truffles-Australia
Truffle Europe
Ranking 2006
Truffle
Discussion Group
Black
Gold
Truffle
Company wins RIRDC $200,000 Business Plan Award