Deer truffle

What a truffle looks like

If you want to find these mushrooms in the forest, you definitely need to know what a truffle looks like (Figure 4). Outwardly, the shape of the fruit bodies can be tuberous or rounded with a size of 2-10 cm. Peridium has a dark color range from bluish-black to brown-black. On the surface, pyramidal warts can very often be observed, but there are species with a smooth peridium.

Figure 4. External features of truffles

The flesh of a mature specimen is loose, and a young one is dense. At the very beginning of growth, the flesh will be white and, as the specimen matures, it will acquire a brownish-yellow color. When cut, the light streaks give it a marbled color. The pulp is sweetish in taste and similar to a nut, and the aroma is similar to the smell of algae.

What a truffle looks like and where to find it - the author of the video will tell you.

The main differences from other mushrooms

Truffles on the market are very expensive and the price for 1 kilogram of such a rare product starts from 400 euros. Such a high cost of this type is associated with the following factors:

• The difficulty of growing;
• Seasonal loot;
• High level of taste and aroma properties (quality) of the product.

The value of each unit is measured by its size: the larger the copy, the more expensive it costs. The most expensive are mushrooms with a large fruiting body (like an apple), but less than 1% of the total world harvest of such specimens grows. Walnut-sized specimens make up 10% of the crop, and grape-sized specimens make up 30%. The rest of the percentage is made up of very small mushrooms, and their cost is much less. The very small ones are mainly used for making a variety of sauces.

What a false truffle looks like

To date, many types of truffles have been established that can be safely eaten without danger to health. However, there are many other fungi that, if ingested, can cause digestive tract upset or severe intoxication (Figure 7).

It is very easy to mistake a false truffle for a real culinary rarity. They may have external similarities, but at the same time they belong to a different family. For example, deer grows in the wooded areas of Europe and North America and it is not edible for humans, but animals eat it with great pleasure.

Figure 7. Appearance and features of a false truffle

Reindeer truffle can cause stomach upset, but at the same time, false truffle is deadly to human health. Outwardly, it has an oblong shape, dark red or beige in color and belongs to the Basidiomycete family. The fruiting body of a poisonous mushroom can grow up to 10 cm in length and will have a characteristic unpleasant odor. The inedible species include tombolans (steppe truffles), which grow in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, North Africa and southern Europe. However, among the tombolans there are also edible mushrooms.

The appearance of the mushroom, as a rule, does not affect its taste characteristics. Most often, it is the beautiful, neat and tasty-smelling fruits that are the sources of toxic substances for the body. White truffle looks unattractive, but in culinary it is one of the most valuable mushrooms.

Spreading

Reindeer truffle is the most common species of the Elafomyces genus and the most common underground mushroom in the Northern Hemisphere. Widely distributed in Europe and North America, there are reports of finds in Chile (where it may have been introduced by humans), China, Japan and Taiwan. It is found from the subarctic and subalpine belts to the tropics. Prefers coastal areas, although it grows in the mountains at an altitude of 2700-2800 m. It is more common in areas with acidic sandy or podzolic soil. Most abundant in virgin forests, but also grows in forest plantations.Mycorrhizal forming agent, prefers conifers, but is also found under chestnuts, beeches and oaks. Occurs in all seasons, mainly in late summer and autumn.

The fungus is sensitive to the destruction of old forests, where it grows most often, disturbance of the soil cover and pollution. Despite its widespread occurrence in Europe, in some of its countries it is rare, and in Bulgaria it is listed in the Red Book as a critically endangered species.

Where does truffle grow in Russia?

The species composition and ranges have not been studied, only isolated finds are known. Russian mycologists distinguish the following edible varieties of mushrooms:

• truffle black summer, black autumn, black winter, black French (Perigord);
• truffle white Duron, white ocher, white pubescent, white motley;
• truffle red and red shiny.

White and red species are found in the European part of our country.

Black Russian (edible, summer, burgundy) can be harvested in Crimea and on the Caucasian Black Sea coast from late July to late autumn. It is found in the southern regions of the European part of the Russian Federation. It grows in symbiosis with broad-leaved species: oak, beech, hornbeam, and occasionally birch and pine. It comes across at a depth of 15 cm, prefers calcareous soil.

Black winter was found twice in the Tuapse region.

Perigord is not found in the wild in Russia. Cultivated by Italians in the Crimea.

A mushroom of the genus Choiromyces from the Truffle family is known under the name of the Russian white (Trinity, Posad, Polish) truffle, also known as fat. Distributed on the territory of the Russian Federation in the middle lane. Grows in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests. Forms mycorrhiza with birch, aspen, hazel, linden, oak, pine, spruce. Loves dry and loose soils with weak vegetation. The place should be warmed up by the sun.

Worms do not eat this mushroom, but slugs attack the fruiting bodies that appear above the surface of the earth.

From the 18th to the 20th century, the mushroom was collected near the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, sent to the Moscow province for sale to restaurateurs. They served the fat as a delicious French truffle, deceiving gullible visitors.

Interesting Facts

1. Overripe truffles contain anandamide, a substance that acts as a psychotropic.
2. If a raw truffle is soaked in water for a while, it tastes like soy sauce.
3. Truffles are searched for at night due to the heightened sense of smell in search dogs and pigs in the cool air.
4. Truffle is a powerful aphrodisiac.

Having tasted the white truffle, it is impossible to forget it. This amazing, perfect taste and aroma will forever remain in your memory. Some people are impervious to the smell of truffles, moreover, they find it disgusting. Nevertheless, this famous mushroom is worthy of trying it at least once in a lifetime.

Truffle is a mushroom that grows underground at a depth of 20 cm. It is not only the most expensive mushroom in the world, but also a delicacy that is difficult to get. In shape, the truffle resembles a potato tuber, its flesh is reddish, it turns black towards maturity. There are about a hundred species of these mushrooms, but the Perigord or black truffle, Italian and winter, received the highest rating and recognition of gourmets due to its unique "truffle" aroma.

Season and place of fruiting

Truffles grow at a depth of 8-10 cm. In rare cases, a small elevation appears on the soil surface, a gap that can be found with a miracle mushroom. White truffles are a very rare species. Fruiting is not annual for them, but when this happens, it is possible to collect fat from the end of July to November. The highest fruiting percentage of white truffles coincides with the highest yield of porcini mushrooms.

Where and how to collect truffles in Europe

In the wild, mushrooms grow throughout Europe. Most common in Italy, Switzerland and France. A pig was an assistant in the search for these mushrooms. First you need to train her to smell truffles, and if a pig smells him in the forest, she will start digging the ground. Then the truffle collector should drive off the animal and start extracting the mushrooms himself. A trained pig can be used for hunting up to 10 years old, but the animals get tired quickly, so it is difficult for them to search in large areas.

Where and how truffle grows in Russia

On the territory of the Russian Federation, white truffles grow in almost all regions. You can find the so-called Russian white truffle in the Moscow and Leningrad regions, as well as in the Chernozem, Oryol, Samara, Vladimir, Smolensk, Nizhny Novgorod and Kuibyshev forests. Mushrooms grow under aspen, birch, hazel or in young coniferous plantings, in calcareous, loose, not waterlogged soils with sparse grass and deciduous litter.

Reindeer truffle - description, where it grows, the poisonousness of the mushroom

All truffles are appreciated by gourmets due to the fact that they are rare and quite tasty. But in today's material we will study an inedible representative belonging to the family of Elaphomycetes and the genus Elaphomycetes. We will talk about a deer truffle - a small fruit body, which is also called rain or grainy. People do not consume these mushrooms for food, but they are very popular with representatives of the animal world. Squirrels, deer and hares lean on truffles, a real battle for fruiting bodies can begin.

Description

1. Like the rest of this family, truffles grow directly in the soil. They are small, grow up to a maximum of 5 cm in diameter, but in fact there are much fewer specimens. By weight, they reach 18 grams. each.
2. In the process of heat treatment (drying), the shape practically does not change. It remains round or tuberous. In terms of their external characteristics, these fruiting bodies resemble walnuts or hazelnuts. They feel quite compacted.
3. The fruiting body itself is covered with a crust with bumps and the semblance of warts. This crust is about 3 mm thick. The color of the mushrooms is light yellow, brown with rusty blotches, brown-red, brown-golden. In early spring, quite bright specimens of a reddish tone are sometimes found.
4. This representative has no basis. The soft part is hard, painted radially, and includes several layers. The edges are orange, thin, followed by a whitish color, then thicker gray-brown blotches. The composition of the pulp ends with a thin white layer, and in the center of the mushroom is black-gray.
5. In some cases, the central part may be whitish, painted in a dark gray tone. The soft part is bitter, the aroma is practically absent, in some cases it is simply unpleasant.
6. In young animals, the soft part is colored with a light marble tone. It is reddish with light spots. Mature fruiting bodies take on a violet or brownish-purple hue, dust is formed. This powder is a spore that is either black or brown-black in color.

Often, fruit specimens can be found in forest belts in which pines grow. They can also live with fir trees. Fruiting bodies are found in larch trees, squares, park areas. Sand is considered a favorite soil for growing.
Mushrooms are not directly underground, they prefer to settle closer to the soil surface. They live at shallow depths, for example, under a litter of leaves, moss or pine needles.
It will be possible to find fruit bodies at a depth of 2 to 15 cm, but the average is 5 cm. The mushrooms are located in the root system of trees. This is how mycorrhiza is built. The species of trees suitable for these purposes can be very different.

Doubles

1. In terms of external characteristics, this fruiting body has certain similarities. A close relative of the mushroom in question is the prickly truffle.It has a skin pigmented with a brownish-yellow tint. Truffles grow in birch groves or near single trees of this breed.
2. Also, the discussed variety of fruit bodies has another double, which is called nothing more than a red-brown truffle. It is a small tuber or bunch that grows up to 7 cm in diameter. The surface is brown-red or brown-pink. The soft part smells good, looks like a brain.
3. The deer specimen refers to the marsupial fruit bodies that live underground. It does not look like a real delicacy, it was often used by fraudsters who betrayed this fruit body under the guise of a delicacy. The genus includes about twenty varieties. Some species grow in the coniferous belt, others - in the larch trees of Europe.

Edibility

It was mentioned earlier that mushrooms are not eaten. However, these specimens are considered a real treat for some inhabitants of the animal world. We are talking about squirrels, mice, badgers, wild boars, deer, etc.
If the year turned out to be not productive, the squirrels begin to dig the ground in order to find these fruiting bodies. They break the soil to a depth of 8 cm. When you really want to eat, they look for truffles under the snow.

In today's article, we have considered everything that affects a representative of the Elaphomycetes family. This is a deer truffle, which is not consumed by humans for food. This fruiting body serves as a snack for forest dwellers, which is often used by hunters. They lure squirrels and wild boars to such specimens.

Calorie content of truffle

The calorie content of 100 g of truffle is 25 kcal. Energy value:

• Proteins: …………………… .3 g (12 kcal)
• Fats: …………………… .0.5 g (5 kcal)
• Carbohydrates: ………………… .2 g (8 kcal)

• The maximum weight of a truffle reaches 1 kg, although there are also very tiny specimens the size of a pea.
• One hypothesis is that mature truffles contain anandamide, a psychotropic substance similar to marijuana in action.
• In France and Italy, since the 15th century, it has been common to search for truffles growing in the forest with the help of search dogs and pigs, which can smell truffles underground at a distance of up to 20 m.
• In the 19th century, truffles began to be cultivated; in those days, up to 1000 tons of these mushrooms were harvested. In recent years, the truffle harvest has been about 50 tons. Mushrooms are grown in the USA, Spain, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia and the UK. And at the beginning of the 21st century, China became a major truffle producer in the world. The Chinese variety is cheaper, but the quality is lower.

Systematics:

• Department: Ascomycota (Ascomycetes)
• Subdivision: Pezizomycotina
• Class: Eurotiomycetes (Eurocyomycetes)
• Subclass: Eurotiomycetidae
• Order: Eurotiales
• Family: Elaphomycetaceae (Elaphomycetes)
• Genus: Elaphomyces
• View: Elaphomyces granulatus (Deer truffle)
  

Other names for the mushroom:

Synonyms:

• Elafomyces granular;
  
• Elaphomyces cervinus.

Reindeer truffle (Elaphomyces granulatus) is a mushroom from the Elaphomycetes family, belonging to the Elaphomyces genus.

External description

The formation and primary development of the fruiting bodies of the deer truffle occurs shallowly in the soil. That is why they can rarely be found when forest animals dig the ground and dig up these mushrooms. The fruiting bodies located under the surface of the soil are characterized by a spherical irregular shape, and only sometimes they can be wrinkled. Their diameter varies within 2-4 cm, and the surface is covered with a dense white crust, which on the cut becomes slightly pinkish with a shade of gray. The thickness of this crust ranges from 1 to 2 mm. the outer part of the fruiting body is covered with small warts densely located on the surface. The color of the fruit bodies varies from ocher brown to yellowish ocher.

In young mushrooms, the flesh has a whitish color, and as the fruit bodies mature, it becomes gray or darkish. The surface of fungal spores is covered with small spines, characterized by a black color and a spherical shape.the diameter of each such particle is 20-32 µm.

Season and habitat of the mushroom

Reindeer truffle (Elaphomyces granulatus) can be found quite often in summer and autumn. Active fruiting of the species occurs in the period from July to October. The fruit bodies of the tinder fungus prefer to grow in mixed and coniferous (spruce) forests. Occasionally, this type of mushroom also grows in deciduous forests, choosing areas in spruce forests and under coniferous trees.

Edibility

Not recommended for human consumption. Many mycologists consider deer truffle inedible, but forest animals eat it with great pleasure. Hares, squirrels and deer especially like this type of mushroom.

Similar types and differences from them

Outwardly, the reindeer truffle is a bit like another inedible mushroom - the mutable truffle (Elaphomyces mutabilis). True, the latter is distinguished by a smaller size of the fruiting body and a smoother surface.

DEER TRUFFLE

truffle (Elaphomyces cervinus), an underground mushroom of the marsupial class. The fruiting body resembles a hazelnut or walnut, with a thick warty brownish bark. When ripe, the pulp turns into a black-brown dust, consisting mainly of spores. Usually grows in pine forests, in sandy soil, shallow from the surface. It is eaten by deer, hares, squirrels. It has nothing to do with real truffles.

Great Soviet Encyclopedia, TSB.

2012

Description

Fruit bodies are rounded cleistothecia 1-4 cm in size, located in the ground at a depth of 2-8 (sometimes from 1 to 15) cm, in the humus layer or under it. They have a yellow-brown color (at a young age, white or yellowish, at an old age - dark brown or black). The smell is pungent, earthy, somewhat reminiscent of the smell of potatoes. Fruiting bodies are covered with a dense two-layer shell (peridium) 2-4 mm thick with a small tuberous (smooth in young and old mushrooms) surface. The outer layer of the shell is yellow-brown and thinner, the inner layer is white (sometimes brown or black) and thicker. Superficial tubercles are pyramidal, up to 0.4 mm high. Inside the fruiting bodies there is a powder of spores and a few capillary filaments (before ripening, a juicy light mass). Young fruiting bodies are divided into compartments by light partitions.

Asci are round or pear-shaped, 35–45 µm in size, usually with 6 spores, break down before the spores mature (when they reach about half of their final size). Spores are spherical, 20–32 µm in diameter, with a wall up to 10 µm thick, brown-black or red-brown, covered with spines 2–2.5 µm in height, sometimes combined into small groups.

The mycelium is yellow, densely penetrates the soil around the fruiting bodies and braids the roots of trees.

Description and characteristics

White truffle (Latin Choiromyces venosus or Choiromyces meandriformis) is a species of mushrooms of the genus Choiromyces of the Truffle family (Tuberaceae). This type of mushroom has several more names:

• Troitsky truffle;
• Polish truffle;
• White Tuscan Truffle;
• White Russian truffle;
• Posad truffle;
• Fat.

The structure of traditional mushrooms and truffles is fundamentally different. If in classical mushrooms the body consists of a cap and a leg, then the fruiting body of a truffle is an apothecia, completely immersed in the soil, or slightly protruding from the ground. It does not have a cap or a leg. The mushroom looks more like a potato or Jerusalem artichoke tuber. Height - up to 13 cm. The body of a young mushroom is dense, fleshy. The surface is smooth, wrinkled folds are added with age. As the truffle ages, its color changes from light white to red. Gleb is white, strong, in adult mushrooms with noticeable labyrinth-like veins. The spore bag is presented in the form of a ball with appendages.

The spore sacs of truffles are located in the fruiting body or on the internal veins, forming a semblance of a hymenial layer (while the external veins are very similar to highly folded plates), or they are nested in the ascocarps. This quality of the mushroom is considered a characteristic feature.

The flesh in the section of young mushrooms is white, in adult truffles it is gray, like marble, stitched with yellow-brown zigzag veins with the smallest brown spores. The core is dryish, has a persistent pleasant nutty-mushroom aroma, there is no clearly defined taste. The smell of the mushroom increases as it ages.

Price

Because of their cost, this variety has become one of the most expensive delicacies in the world. In this regard, there are often auctions where you can buy all kinds of this delicacy. On average, the price per kilogram can reach 4 thousand euros, the record cost is 330 thousand dollars for a mushroom weighing 1.5 kg. This huge white truffle was auctioned anonymously in Hong Kong. Only those mushrooms whose pedigree was presented by the sellers can participate in the auction. The pedigree must indicate the exact weight, the name of the dog that found it, the location of the tree under which the truffle mushroom was found.

A bit of history

The truffle was first described in his cookbook by Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin. He devoted an entire chapter to this type of mushroom in The Physiology of Taste. The book was published in 1825.

What are the types of truffle mushrooms

Peridium (outer layer) can be with a smooth surface or indented with a large number of various cracks, and there are also specimens with characteristic multifaceted warts. There is a pronounced marble structure in the cross section.

The pulp consists of an inner and outer "wreath", which have dark and light shades. On the internal and external "veins" there are spore sacs, which have a wide variety of shapes. Species affect the color of the flesh, which can be white, black, gray or chocolatey.

Views

The truffle families include more than a hundred representatives of these famous mushrooms, which are classified according to the biological-geographical group and in terms of gastronomic value (black, white, red).

The most famous varieties are:

1. Black summer
   (Russian). This variety can reach a diameter of up to 10 cm and a weight of 0.4 kg. With the period of growing up, he can change the color scheme from white to yellow or gray-brown. The consistency of the pulp in young specimens is very dense, while in old ones it is loose. Representatives of the species have a sweetish nutty taste with a slightly noticeable smell of algae. You can meet this species in the following regions: Transcaucasia, Crimea, the European part of Russia and Europe. It can be found under oak, hazel and pine. Fruiting begins in June and lasts until early October.
2. Black autumn burgundy
   has a rounded shape and can weigh up to 0.32 kg, but in size it is no more than 8 cm. During maturity, the pulp is colored in the color of milk chocolate and is penetrated with veins of a white hue. On the palate, you can recognize the aroma of cocoa, although the Burgundy specimens have a bitter aftertaste.
3. Black winter
   endowed with an irregular spherical or spherical shape. The sizes of fruit bodies can be 8-20 cm and weighing up to 1.5 kg. The surface is covered with a reddish-purple hue, on which polygonal warts can be observed. They have a very pleasant musky aroma and can be found in moist soils under linden or hazel. Such amazing specimens can be found in France, Switzerland, Italy and Ukraine.
4. Black perigord
   (French) has an irregular or slightly rounded shape. The outer peridium is covered with warts, which, as they grow older, change their color from red-brown to coal-dark. Among all the known species, this one is considered the most valuable because it has a pleasant taste and strong aroma.
5. White piedmontese
   (Italian) outwardly endowed with an irregular tuberous shape of fruit bodies and in cross-section can reach 12 cm. Very often there are specimens with a fruit weight of up to 300 grams, but sometimes fruits weighing up to 1 kg are found. Peridium can be yellowish red or brown in color.The pulp of the fruit is creamy or white in color, but specimens with a slight red tint can be found. The variety differs from its relatives by its pleasant taste and aroma, reminiscent of garlic and cheese odors. This species grows exclusively in northern Italy.

We have provided a photo and description of only the main species (Figure 2), although in fact there are many more of them, and almost all of them are of high nutritional value.

Characteristic

Truffles grow exclusively below the soil surface in small groups. They can contain from 3 to 7 fruiting bodies, which have cartilaginous and fleshy pulp.

The range of localities of the families is very extensive and can be found in the following regions: Europe, Asia, the United States and North Africa (Figure 3).

With regard to the extensive distribution, the following features can be distinguished:

• The mycelium of the Piedmont variety can form a symbiosis with the roots of poplar, birch and linden.
• Perigord can be found in groves of beech, oak or hornbeam trees. It is mainly found in Spain, Switzerland and southern France.
• Summer black grows well in mixed or deciduous forests, as well as in calcareous soils.

You can meet this species in Central Europe, the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, Scandinavian countries and Ukraine. However, there were recorded cases of finding this specimen in certain regions of Central Asia.

Peculiarities

There are no pronounced features in the chemical composition. The popularity of this mushroom is based on its aromatic properties, which, it is assumed, can cause the awakening of some feelings and desires.

Today they are the rarest and most expensive, since the demand for them is much higher than the supply. In the vastness of our country, you can find only a black summer variety.

Truffle varieties

There are many varieties of mushrooms, here are the most common:

• Truffle Italian (Tuber magnatum), real or "Piedmont" - its area is Piedmont (region of Italy). It grows near birches, lindens, elms. This is the most expensive mushroom in the world. It is appreciated for its pleasant taste and cheese-garlic aroma.
• French black (Tuber melanosporum), "Perigorsk" is found in groves where hornbeams, beeches and oaks grow. It is considered the second most valuable, second only to Italian. A red-brown or brown-black truffle with an angular-rounded shape, covered with large warts and small depressions. The pulp is colored reddish, later it turns purple. Its distinguishing feature is the multitude of white and black veins with a red border on the section of the mushroom. The mushroom has a bitter taste with a strong aroma.
• Truffle black "Burgundy" (Tuber uncinatum) - a variety of French black, with a nutty aroma and taste of chocolate, grows throughout Europe.
• Summer truffle (Tuber aestivum), "black Russian" is recognized by its nutty taste and sweetish aroma of algae. It can be found on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, in the deciduous forests of the Scandinavian countries, Central Europe, Ukraine, in some areas of Central Asia. It ripens in the summer months.
• Winter truffle (Tuber brumale) ripens in November - February. Hiding in the ground, it is not damaged by frost, but if somehow the mushroom is on the surface, then it freezes and loses all its taste. This happens even with the smallest frost. It grows in Switzerland, Italy and France, in the mountains of the Crimea. The young mushroom has a reddish-purple color, the mature mushroom becomes almost black and grows overgrown with many small warts. The ash gray flesh has white veins and a musky aroma.
• African truffle (Terfezia leonis) grows exclusively in North Africa and in parts of the Middle East. Whitish-yellow mushrooms are round in shape. The pulp is light, mealy, with white veins and numerous dark spots. When ripe, it becomes moist.

Truffle (Tuber) is the most expensive mushroom in the world, a rare and tasty delicacy with unique taste and strong specific aroma. The mushroom got its name due to the similarity of its fruiting body with potato tubers or cones (the Latin phrase terrae tuber corresponds to the concept of “earthen cones”). Mushroom truffle belongs to the department of ascomycetes, the subdivision of Pezizomycotina, the class of pec, the order of pec, the family of truffles, the genus of truffles.