Your Guide to Gourmet Truffles

Truffles, sought by food connoisseurs the world over, are rare mushrooms. Unlike normal mushrooms, these pricey gems, which are superb when added to French and Italian dishes, grow in the roots of oak, hazelnut, beech, chestnut, pine, willow and elm trees and are exceedingly hard to find. In addition, truffles are exceedingly expensive. So just what is this mysterious delicacy and where do you get it?

History of Truffles
Truffles first appeared in the fourth century BC. At that time some thought truffles were tubers or roots, others felt they were a byproduct of lightning hitting the ground and still others called them Children of the Earth. The Islamic prophet Muhammad called them Manna from heaven. Though truffles seemed to have all but disappeared during medieval times-perhaps due to poor growing conditions-they reappeared in Europe during the Renaissance period and then again in the 17th century.

What Are Truffles?
Truffles are mushrooms that grow about a foot underground among the roots of certain trees, oak trees being their favorite. When searching for truffles, you have to take into consideration the growing season and climate, as well.

Truffles grow best in soil that is well-drained , remains at a pH between 6.5 and 8.0 (they don't like acidic soil) and that is less-traveled or uncompacted.

Harvesting truffles is delicate but dirty work and can only take place during certain growing seasons. Summer truffles (May to August) are said to be less tasty than the more pungent cold-weather truffle, which can generally be cultivated from November to January. Once you find a truffle-either by use of an animal such as a pig or dog, or by watching for soil that is raised or cracked-you then dig, being careful not to damage the roots or the truffle. Brush the truffle carefully to remove all dirt and refrigerate. Do not wash the truffle until you're ready to eat it. Once a truffle has been washed, it must be eaten or frozen immediately.

Truffles take months to mature and only days to spoil. Once the truffle shows signs of moisture on the outside, it generally has a remaining lifespan of about 24 hours.

The white and the black truffle are the two most sought-after colors. However, more truffles than not are gray, which is why hunting a specific truffle can be elusive.

Scent of a Truffle
Aroma is one of the ways in which truffles were first discovered. Pigs and dogs have a highly evolved sense of smell and are extremely adept at finding truffles. Dogs trained for this purpose should have a good nose for smell and be interested particularly in the smell of a truffle. Poodles and beagles make good truffle dogs. The difference between using dogs and commercial raking techniques is that dogs will find mature truffles. Raking will unearth all truffles, and unripe truffles will not have the aroma that brings in the buyers.

Choosing and or Training a Truffle Dog

• Starting with a puppy is best.
• Introduce a group of puppies to the smell of a truffle. Truffles can be kept in a tightly sealed bag in the freezer for up to six months without loosing their potent aroma. Cut off a sliver a day for training purposes.
• Train the puppy that shows the most interest in the truffle. The puppy should show more interest in the hand that holds the truffle than it does in you or in anything else in the room.
• Let the puppy eat the truffle. If he enjoys truffles, he will be easier to train.
• Begin by getting the dog interested in the truffle, then burying the truffle (in a container) beneath the ground about an inch. When the dog finds it, give him a taste, then bury the item deeper. Do this until the dog is able to detect the truffle odor beneath the ground when buried up to a foot deep.
• Take care in letting the dog dig up the truffle. Truffles are delicate and can be damaged easily. If you want the dog to simply sniff out the item, this won't be a concern, but if you want the dog to dig to just above truffle exposure, you'll need to train him to stop when he is an inch or so above the truffle.

Historically, pigs were trained in Europe as white-truffle hunters because the white truffle produces a scent or pheromone that mimics a male pig. Pigs are smart animals, but it appears that when it comes to truffles, it's easier to keep a dog from making a pig of itself than keeping a pig from doing what comes naturally.

The Mysterious Truffle
The trouble with truffles, however, is that they can be excruciatingly delicious to one person and extremely disgusting to another. To some people the aroma of a truffle is intoxicatingly sexy and mouthwatering. This person, once hooked, is willing to drop big bucks for this delicacy, repeatedly. To another person, however, the scent of a truffle comes across in much the same way as the smell of goat urine. This person's taste buds may never allow a truffle past their lips.

But according to the elite who shovel in truffles by the mouthful, even those who detest the smell of a truffle can grow to love the mildly woodsy, slightly nutty, sometimes erotic flavor of this gem of the forest.

Truffles Come with a Hefty Price Tag
The normal size of a truffle is about that of a large walnut. The average price of a walnut-sized truffle, however, is about 200 times what you'd pay for a single walnut. Your palate may be ready, but is your bankbook? On average, truffles are sold in restaurants by the ounce. Respectable eateries usually make sure the truffle is weighed, then brought to the table where you are encouraged to inhale its aroma, lift it to judge firmness and then given the opportunity to decide-based on the cost per ounce-how many shavings you would like on your plate. To ensure you are not the victim of a bait and switch, ask that the truffle be shaved at the table.

Because the aroma of a truffle begins to wane after a week or two, a strong, pungent aroma is a good way to determine the freshness of a truffle. And because truffles are rare or hard to find, the price has naturally been driven upward. The largest truffle market in the world can be found in France, where black truffles are sold for about $300 to $900 per pound and where truffle connoisseurs and high-end eateries are eager to pay whatever it takes to get the goods.