Can you still eat a moldy truffle? A customer recently advised us that she had some light white mold on the outside of her truffle and asked if it was still usable?

The short answer is yes, as long as the truffle still smells good and is still firm. If the outside is “sticky” to the touch, or the truffle is no longer firm to a gentle squeeze – then the truffle has perished.

Fresh Truffles are fungus, and over time, the fungal spores push their way out of the truffle in an attempt to grab the attention of a nearby animal. This is what the white mold is. The whole life-plan of a truffle is to give off a lovely aroma, so an animals can find them – dig them up and eat them. Then the fungal spores can by spread to other locations within the animal’s poo. This results in truffles spreading their territory and more truffles being “born”.

So, back to the white mold – this is totally natural, completely harmless to humans and can easily be brushed off with a soft brush or a clean cloth. It is best, if possible, to avoid washing and scrubbing the truffle in water. However, this can be done if the mold doesn’t shift after dry brushing – as long as the truffle is dried completely (with a towel and then air-dried) before being refrigerated again.

White mold typically doesn’t appear for the first 5-7 days after harvest, especially if our instructions on caring for fresh truffles are followed strictly.

The essentials – keep the truffles cool, and most important; keep them dry.