A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean Ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus Tuber. Some of the truffle species are highly prized as food. Wikipedia
Truffles are a fungus that grows in the earth in forested areas, Usually in the shade near trees. They can be found most dominantly in Europe and the Middle East. They are especially infamous in France and Italy. The French black and Italian white truffles are like diamonds in the culinary world. They are rare and must be excavated deep in the dirt like a potato. They are also costly (the photo shows around a thousand dollars worth of truffles).
Truffles are usually referred to as mushrooms because they are fungi, much like mushrooms, and are found in the woods. However, mushrooms are a type of fungus that grows above ground, and truffles are subterranean, which means they are not technically “mushrooms.”
Black truffles also lend an amazing, earthy flavor to dishes you normally cook mushrooms in. On the other hand, white truffles are usually served raw and shaved onto a dish similar to how you would shave cheese.*
To cultivate truffles, inoculated truffle trees are planted in orchards much like those for fruits and nuts, except that the crop appears below ground and is usually harvested with the help of trained dogs or pigs that can smell the truffles through a layer of earth. Truffles begin to appear several years after the inoculated seedlings are planted, and production can continue for decades.**
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Inoculated Truffle trees
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The female pig’s natural truffle-seeking and usual intent to eat the truffle are due to a compound within the truffle similar to androstenol, the sex pheromone of boar saliva, to which the sow is keenly attracted.
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White truffles are served raw and shaved over steaming buttered pasta, salads, or fried eggs. White or black paper-thin truffle slices may be inserted into meats, under the skins of roasted fowl, in foie gras preparations, in pâtés, or stuffings. Some specialty cheeses contain truffles, as well. ***
The flavor of black truffles is far less pungent and more refined than white truffles. Its strong flavor is often described as syrupy and sweet. Black truffles are also used to produce truffle salt and truffle honey.***
While chefs used to peel truffles in the past, in modern times, most restaurants brush the truffle carefully and shave it or dice it with the skin on to make the most of this valuable ingredient. A few restaurants, such as Philippe Rochat in Switzerland, still stamp out circular discs of truffle flesh and use the skins for sauces.***
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Truffle oil
Truffle oil is used as a lower-cost and convenient substitute for truffles, to provide flavoring, or to enhance the flavor and aroma of truffles in cooking. Most “truffle oil,” however, does not contain any truffles. The vast majority is olive oil, artificially flavored using a synthetic agent such as 2,4-dithiapentane. ***
“Cochon truffier” by Vayssie Robert Robert Vayssié – Own workGignac Lot France. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
The truffle hog or truffle pig is a domestic pig used for locating and extracting a type of tuber known as truffles from temperate forests in Europe and North America. The pigs have a good sense of smell and can identify truffles from as deep as three feet underground. It is thought that the natural sex hormones of the male pig are similar to the smell of the truffles, and pigs also have a natural affinity for rooting in the earth for food. They are trained to hunt truffles by walking on a leash through suitable groves with a keeper.****
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Truffle hunting with pig
Truffle hunting with a dog
Chocolate truffle
A chocolate truffle is a type of chocolate confectionery, traditionally made with a chocolate ganache center coated in chocolate, icing sugar, cocoa powder or chopped toasted nuts, usually spherical, conical, or curved. Wikipedia
Most people don’t know that chocolate truffles are aptly named “truffles” because they resemble real truffles. These delicious chunks of chocolate mimic the shape and size of a truffle and have dusted cocoa powder on them to symbolize the dirt. That’s about the extent of the similarity!*
Author :
The doubtful part is the contamination level during harvesting (najs) and truffle storage, especially when farmers keep animals on the premises (thayyib issues). Only Halal certifiers would be able to guarantee Halalness. Farmed Truffles uses modern agricultural farming without traces of pigs and dogs as hunting animals, which would be an answer to producing Halal Truffles. Remember that truffle oil is Halal-friendly since it uses olive oil as an artificial flavoring. However, the technical community has commented that some truffle oil is infused with genuine truffles. So, please check!
For Chocolate Truffles, beware of rum or other alcohol where the industry used them for coating, etc. No truffle is added to chocolate; only the shape is like a truffle, which is why they are called chocolate truffles.
* http://www.genesismoss.com/blog/truffles-mushrooms-chocolates/
** http://www.truffletree.com/cultivation/
*** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle
**** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle_hog
Nice article