Fresh Black Summer Truffles

Learn about Truffles – Facts You Probably Didn’t Know

  • Truffles have always been revered and date as far back as 1600 B.C. These special funghi are known as the “diamonds of the earth” and also “Earth’s Testicles”.
  • There are over 200 species of truffles. The most revered truffles are the Aestivum Vitt., Uncinatum, Magnatum Pico, and Melanosporum.
  • Chocolate Truffles are named after the mushroom because of their resemblance.
  • Truffles are known for their aphrodisiac properties due to a pheromone they possess. This pheromone strongly attracts pigs, the original truffle hunters.
  • Fresh Truffles are so unique and special that they have their own separate branch of Botany, called Hydnology.
  • Fresh Truffles grow underground, by tree-roots in symbiosis with certain tree species (Oak, Elm, Beech, Hazel and some others). This is called Mycorrhiza.
  • The external wall of a fresh Truffle is called the Peridium, which can be smooth or textured, with a colour that varies from light to dark, although is typically dark brown to black.
  • The inner part of a fresh Truffle is called the Gleba and it can appear black, white, to reddish brown.
  • Marbling throughout the Gleba of the fresh Truffle, there is a veining separating the cavities, in which are cells, called Aschii, which contain the treasured Truffle spores, that ensure future generations will also be enjoying fresh Truffles.
  • The origin of the word “Truffle” appears to be the Latin term tūber, meaning “swelling” or “lump”, which became tufer- and gave rise to the various European terms: Danish trøffel, Dutch truffel, English truffle, French truffe, German Trüffel, Greek τρούφα trúfa, Italian tartufo, Polish trufla, Romanian trufă, Spanish trufa, and Swedish tryffel.
  • In exchange for carbohydrates, fresh Truffle fungi provide their host plants with valuable micro and macronutrients, via the roots. Plant macronutrients include potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, and sulfur whereas micronutrients include iron, copper, zinc, and chloride.
  • Fresh Truffle Hunters prefer the use of Dogs to identify truffles under the soil. Historically, Pigs were used. However, they had a tendency to eat the fresh truffles once found!!!
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