Feeling fancy for the holidays? Let’s talk truffles. No, not the little cacao-candy spheres from a chocolatier. Truffles as in fungi: the subterranean types that resemble lumpy, dirty rocks and emit an odor with enough intensity to repel humans yet attract pigs. Those truffles.
Listed as an ingredient to some of the most costly meals on menus and wielded as a chef’s secret weapon, you might wonder, “What’s the big deal with these stem-less mushrooms?” Then again, if you’re asking this question you most likely haven’t had the opportunity to taste them yet. Get curious, muster the courage (in addition to funds), and splurge a little on this exotic treat. Hone in on your cooking creativity to work truffles into this year’s savory feast for your family and friends.
A truffle’s birth begins with an alliance between the spore and a tree’s roots. The tree provides shelter as well as a channel for nutrients to be exchanged between the couplet. While not found fused onto the roots, the budding bits can be found near the tree’s core. Often produced and lodged anywhere from one to three feet deep into the earth, this peculiar development continues with the next exciting step of actually finding where they’re hidden—a gourmet Easter egg hunt, if you will.
Gatherers can trace these special nuggets a few ways: noticing a hovering cloud of small yellow flies, spotting loose soil from forest critters pawing at the hot spot or, most notably, the use of a trained dog or female swine to sniff them out. Dogs are ideal scouting companions since they’re unlikely to gobble the prized gems, but the traditional latter method has a unique biological background that may out favor the canine. According to a 1982 article in The New York Times, truffles hold a musk-like substance similar to male boars’ hormones found in both their testes and saliva foam—with double the potency. This special odor drives the females to keenly trace their locations since it mocks pre-mating rituals.
Once harvested, both black and white species are marked for their superior taste and scent. At the top of the hierarchy, the black Perigord (nicknamed “The Black Diamond”) and white Italian truffles can claim price tags of $50 up to $150 per ounce when sold fresh. While both the royals of their kind, the white Italian, in season from October to December, is the most expensive due to the garlic and cheese flavor it reflects.
If fresh truffles are out of season or your price range, cheaper alternatives are available in frozen, butter, oil or paste forms. For beginners it’s best to first experiment with one of these economical varieties without committing yourself to gastronomic debt. While part of the every-day diet in France and Italy, most Americans are still uneasy when it comes to incorporating them into cuisine.
Vittorio Giordano, Vice President of the 160-year-old Urbani Truffles USA Corporation, suggests their “Truffle Thrills” line as an introduction to the culture. The philosophy behind this collection is a compromise: a tinned selection of ingredients well known by consumers, such as tomatoes, artichokes or pesto, fused with the truffles into a multi-purpose sauce. A blend of luxury with the familiar, this Summer 2010 launch has already proved a great success in educating the public of this fungus’s wonder, according to Giordano. It’s a ready-to-use, balanced formula that assures easy and optimal savor at $9.95 a piece.
Beware: sparse amounts yield great results! It’s important to give a balance to recipes and learn which additions pair best. For example, Giordano shared that garlic and onions have a dominating aroma and taste, masking the true truffle essence. Try selecting your favorite basic and work from there. Drizzle oil on eggs, slather butter on buns—even shave fresh morsels into your festive risotto or culinary centerpiece stuffing to wow your guests.
Even if truffles don’t tickle your foodie palate, they can make a darling present this season for the aspiring gourmand or even inspire the next Food Network celebrity!
