Kind of mushrooms black truffle

How to find truffles

To find a truffle in the forest, you need to have special knowledge. They are found near the roots of trees: they are often found near oak trees. Try not to look for fruits in the clear cut areas. Based on practice, such areas are not distinguished by a large number of mushrooms. It is desirable that there be black soil with high humidity. Before starting your search, consider the following:

• Consider the fruits in advance, live or in photographs.
• Prepare to search for animals: Specially trained pigs or dogs will do.

To make the "quiet hunt" successful, be guided by some features of the area. The rules for mushroom pickers are as follows:

The "truffle" area, where the delicacy is located, is distinguished by stunted vegetation, gray-ash soil.
Fungi rarely come to the surface of the soil (sometimes this happens due to strong winds or heavy rains), so look for them in the ground at a depth of 10-15 cm.
Pay attention to the bumps, they should be excavated.
Midges often circle over a place with mushrooms: the larvae feed on mushrooms, so the insects lay eggs nearby.

Growth features

A favorable place for the development of truffles is a large number of tree roots and soil with loose soil with a lot of sand and lime. Experienced mushroom pickers say that if they find one specimen, then you need to continue looking for several more nearby. Typically, you can find about 5 pieces. Truffle often develops in families, rarely singly.

Searching for truffles in the forest

People have been collecting unusual mushrooms for many years.

It is important to consider that there is a false and real mushroom. To return home with the desired prey, it is important to follow a special technology:

• Go to the forest where there are beeches, birches, oaks, hazel.
• Look for fruits near trees with large roots.
• If the search is carried out with the help of pigs, then they should be muzzled, because animals love to feast on mushrooms.
• Keep in mind the appearance of the plant: its surface is rough, the flesh is firm. The fruits resemble black or white potato tubers.

Truffle hunting animals

Mushrooms have a very strong odor that animals can easily pick up even at a distance. For this reason, experienced mushroom pickers prefer to keep specially trained dogs or pigs. The latter are able to smell at a distance of 25 meters. After the aroma is determined, the pig will actively dig up the delicacy. If there is no muzzle, then it is necessary to ensure that the pig does not eat what it finds.

As for dogs, they are indifferent to eating treats, so it is not necessary to wear a muzzle before searching. Before using these four-legged "detectives", it will take a long time to learn the rules of finding mushrooms. The dog needs to be trained to smell. If you are thinking of buying a trained dog, then keep in mind that it costs more than 5000 euros.

What is their feature

Truffle is an underground tuberous body that belongs to the genus of marsupial mushrooms. They grow in small groups of 3-7 fruits and are characterized by the presence of a fleshy structure and an unsightly appearance, behind which an exclusive taste is hidden. There is an opinion that having tasted a truffle once, its aroma will be imprinted in the memory for a lifetime.

Where grow

For the first time, the delicacy became known in Egypt and Ancient Rome. In the 16th century, it was brought to the territory of France, where it is in unprecedented demand to this day. Mushrooms are grown in coniferous and deciduous forests:

• Europe;
• North America;
• Asia;
• North Africa.

White truffles from the Italian city of Alba in Piedmont are considered the best. They are harvested from October to December, which is why the region at this time becomes a tourist center, which can be visited by true gourmets.

What taste

The mushroom has a distinct flavor that can be compared to roasted sunflower seeds and walnuts. For maximum preservation of taste, the delicacy is preferred to be consumed raw or by reducing the process of thermal processing of the product to a minimum. Many people who have tasted it note that the fruiting body has a strong odor, reminiscent of the scent of algae.

MushMagic

What are the types

There are two common varieties:

• black truffle (Tuber Melanosporum);
• white truffle (Tuber Magnatum).

In relation to other mushrooms, this delicacy requires special conditions for cultivation - a subtropical climate with abundant rainfall. He feels comfortable in mixed forests, where beech and oak trees grow, which are more than 15 years old. The soil for cultivation must be soft and rich in minerals.

White truffle

Practical value [edit | edit code]

Real truffles are edible. They have a mushroom flavor with deep roasted seeds or walnuts and a strong characteristic aroma. If a truffle is immersed in water and held, then it acquires the taste of soy sauce.

The most appreciated by gourmets are Perigord, Piedmont and winter truffles, which grow in oak and beech groves in Southern France, Switzerland and Northern Italy, where they are of great industrial importance. In Russia, one species is found - summer truffle ( Tuber aestivum ) .

In France and Italy, dating back to the 15th century, the practice of searching for truffles growing in the forest with the help of specially trained search dogs and pigs, which have a phenomenally fine scent, is widespread: they are able to smell truffles underground at a distance of up to 20 m. searching for truffles is also the so-called "Hunting for flies"; it is based on the fact that some flies of the thornfly family lay their eggs in the soil in the vicinity of truffles (the larvae of these flies use the fruit bodies of truffles for food), therefore, a truffle can be found under the foliage, having noticed midges swarming above it.

Contrary to popular belief, truffles can still be cultivated. There were already successful attempts in 1808. It was observed that truffles grew between the roots of only a few oak trees. In 1808, Joseph Talon (Joseph talon) planted acorns from those oak trees under which truffles were found. A few years later, when the trees grew, truffles were found under the roots of some of them. In 1847 Auguste Rousseau (Auguste Rousseau) planted 7 hectares with such acorns and subsequently collected a large harvest of truffles, for which he received a prize at the 1855 World Exhibition in Paris.

At the end of the 19th century, 750 square kilometers were planted with truffle groves, from which up to 1000 tons of "black diamonds of culinary" were collected. However, due to the decline of agriculture in France in the 20th century, many of the truffle groves were abandoned. The average fruiting period of truffle oaks is about 30 years, after which the yield drops sharply. As a result, although 80% of all truffles harvested in France come from special oak plantations, the annual harvest has dropped dramatically. Local farmers are opposed to new plantations, fearing a serious drop in prices for this delicious mushroom. The number of harvested truffles is decreasing from year to year. In recent years, the harvest of these mushrooms has not exceeded 50 tons. Currently, truffles are cultivated in the USA, Spain, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia and the UK.

French experts demand to prohibit the mixing of European truffles and Chinese ones, as this ultimately strongly affects the reputation of European products for which such mixtures are issued.

Other truffles

White, or Polish, or Trinity truffle (Choiromyces meandriformis) has a fruiting body with light pulp, similar in appearance and size to a potato. Edible.It grows in the forests of Western Europe, Ukraine, Belarus, as well as in the regions of central Russia (earlier it was mined in large quantities in the vicinity of Aleksandrov and Sergiev Posad).

Among the so-called steppe truffles, "tombolans" (genus Terfezia) are also edible. They grow in Southern Europe, North Africa, South-West Asia - in Azerbaijan on the Absheron Peninsula, in Nagorno-Karabakh, in the valley of the Araks River, in Central Asia and in Turkmenistan (Terfezia transcaucasica). In the same areas, the steppe truffle grows (Terfezia boudieri) .

Sometimes truffles are mistakenly referred to as inedible basidiomycetes from the genus Scleroderma (a group of gasteromycetes), whose fruiting bodies look like round and oblong yellowish tubers 3-10 cm long; found in forests, parks; fruiting bodies are at first dense, blackish inside with light veins, unpleasant smelling; later their contents are sprayed.

Reindeer truffle, inedible for humans, is a species of the Elafomitses genus, which serves as food for rodents and deer.

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.

Description

The truffle has no pronounced caps and legs. Its fruiting body is tuberous, 2.5–10 cm in diameter. The surface is uneven, covered with large pyramidal warts. Color from blue-black to dark brown. The fruit body of young specimens is in the ground at a shallow depth, old ones may appear above the surface.

The spores of the fungus are stored in the hymenophore. This is the lower part of the cap, which carries the hymenium - a thin layer of spores. The larger the surface of the fungus, the more spores it produces and spreads around. In truffles, they are mesh, in shape they resemble an oval or ellipse. Their size is 30X24 microns, and the spore powder has a yellow-brown color.

The pulp on the cut with a strong aromatic odor, at first whitish-gray, when ripe yellow-brown, almost brown with white veins resembling a marble pattern. Young mushrooms have dense flesh, ripe ones are loose.

A bit of history

Summer truffles were much more common 150 years ago. The peasants of Podolsk, Moscow, Pskov, Tula, Oryol, Belgorod regions were engaged in collecting and selling it. This is described in a 1902 note from the Novoye Vremya magazine. In Crimea, the first reliable mention of this mushroom is in N.K.Sretinsky's note "Materials for the flora of the Novorossiysk Territory and Bessarabia" from 1874. The most serious well-known source is the monograph of the Russian mycologist FV Bukhgolts "Materials on the morphology and semantics of underground fungi "(1902).

Description of the mushroom

Truffle is a mushroom from the department of actinomycetes, class and order Pacecia, Truffle family. It is also referred to as marsupial mushrooms. Fruit bodies are completely hidden underground, they resemble cones or tubers of potatoes. No wonder in Latin the name sounds like terrae tuber, or an earthen cone.

From above, the fungus covers peridium - the outer layer with numerous warts or cracks. In some species, it is almost white. The inner flesh is marble-like when cut. It consists of internal and external veins, which have different shades. In the internal veins, sacs of spores mature. They are lighter than the outer ones. The color of the pulp differs from species to species.

According to the description, the aroma of the truffle mushroom has several notes: the smell of an autumn forest, rotten foliage, humus, ripe fruits, even cocoa and chocolate. The truffle tastes like a nut or roasted seeds, sometimes it has a fruity, coconut or chocolate aftertaste.It is prepared with minimal heat treatment; gourmets advise eating it raw so as not to lose its unique aroma and flavor. If you send a truffle for storage, it loses most of its qualities.

The mushroom is used as a seasoning for various dishes. It tends to go well with poultry, steaks, pasta, omelet. It is used to make sauces, gourmet pates, fillings. Its calorie content is low. The beneficial properties of mushrooms are also known. They contain vitamins B, PP, C, essential amino acids. Once these plants were used as an aphrodisiac.

Subspecies of tigers, names, descriptions and photos

The classification identifies 9 subspecies of the tiger, 3 of which, unfortunately, have already disappeared from the face of the earth. Today in nature live:

Amur (Ussuri) tiger (Panthera tigris altaica)

The largest and smallest representative of the species, characterized by thick fur and a relatively small number of stripes. The color of the Amur tiger is orange with a white belly, the coat is thick. The body length of males reaches 2.7 - 3.8 meters. The weight of the male Amur tiger is 180-220 kg. The height of the Amur tiger at the withers is 90-106 cm.

The population of Ussuri tigers, numbering about 500 individuals, inhabits the Amur region of Russia. A number of individuals are found in North Korea and northeastern China. The Amur tiger is listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris, Panthera tigris bengalensis)

It is characterized by the largest number, representatives have a bright coat color from yellow to light orange. In nature, white Bengal tigers also live, which do not have stripes at all, but this is rather a mutated species. The length of the Bengal tiger reaches 270-310 cm, the females are smaller and reach a length of 240-290 cm. The tail of the tiger is 85-110 cm long. The height at the withers is 90-110 cm. The weight of the Bengal tiger is from 220 to 320 kg as a maximum.

According to various sources, the population of this species of tigers includes from 2.5 to 5 thousand individuals, most of which live in Pakistan, India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and South Asia.

Albino white tiger

Indochinese tiger (Panthera tigris corbetti)

It has a dull red color and numbers a little more than a thousand individuals. The stripes in this species are narrower and shorter. In size, this species of tigers is smaller than others. The length of the male is 2.55-2.85 cm, the length of the female is 2.30-2.55 cm. The weight of the male Indo-Chinese tiger reaches 150-195 kg, the weight of the female tiger is 100-130 kg.

The area where the Indo-Chinese tigers live is Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Thailand, Southeast Asia, South China.

Malay tiger (Panthera tigris jacksoni)

The third largest subspecies inhabiting the Malaysian, southern, region of the Malay Peninsula.

This is the smallest tiger of all species. The length of the male Malay tiger is 237 cm, the length of the females is up to 200 cm. The weight of the male Malay tiger is 120 kg, the weight of the females does not exceed 100 kg. In total, there are about 600-800 tigers of this species in nature.

Sumatran tiger (Panthera tigris sumatrae)

It is also considered the smallest representative of the species. The length of a male tiger is 220-25 cm, the length of females is 215-230 cm. The weight of male tigers is 100-140 kg, and the weight of females is 75-110 kg.

About 500 representatives are found in the reserves of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia.

South China tiger (Chinese tiger) (Panthera tigris amoyensis)

A small subspecies, no more than 20 such tigers live in captivity in the south and in the center of China.

The body length of males and females is 2.2-2.6 meters, the weight of males does not exceed 177 kg, the weight of females reaches 100-118 kg.

The extinct species are the Balinese tiger, the Caspian tiger, and the Javanese tiger.

In addition to white tigers, species with a yellow color are sometimes born, such animals are called golden tigers. The coat of such tigers is lighter and the stripes are brown.

Truffle varieties

In total, about 70 varieties of truffles are known, but less than ten have at least some culinary significance. The most popular truffles - black perigord and white - have become such not only because of the richest taste (in this parameter, Burgundy and musky are comparable to them), but also because they give the largest specimens: an average black winter truffle is usually three times more summer. With the complexity of collecting even artificially cultivated mushrooms, this parameter becomes of great importance.

Growing at home

You can grow truffles at home. Most often, black mushrooms are grown in this way, since the cultivation of white mushrooms is associated with considerable expenditures not only of time and effort, but also of the money required to purchase special NPK fertilizers.

Experts recommend growing a valuable mushroom according to the following technology:

• infect with mycelium growths of hazel, stone oak;
• move the seedlings that appeared two weeks later to quarantine with sterile conditions;
• mycorrhiza should be planted in planting holes slightly moistened with water;
• it is recommended to deepen to 60-70 cm, which will reliably protect the truffle from adverse external influences;
• the top layer of soil should be covered with straw or fallen oak leaves.

So that the mycelium does not die as a result of overdrying, neat but sufficiently abundant watering is carried out. Caring for partner trees is standard. Do not grow chestnut, willow, poplar or spruce in the immediate vicinity of truffle plantations.

Timeline ‹Our cuisine‹ White truffle, Italian (Tuber magnatum)

Posted on 16 Sep 2018 12:54 pm, Last modified 24 Sep 2018 12:50 pm

Order: Pezizales; Family: Truffle (Tuberaceae); Genus: Truffle (Tuber); Species and synonyms: Truffle white, Italian, real, Piedmontese (Tuber magnatum, Rhizopogon magnatus, Choiromyces gangliodes f. Magnatum). The most rare, and therefore the most expensive kind of truffle. Experienced mushroom pickers know the right signs of how to find these underground treasures. For example, dry soil around a tree can serve as a sign - this is the result of the influence of an underground mycelium. A reliable remedy is the delicate smell of mushrooms, it is invisible to humans, but flies feel it and accumulate in places where truffles grow. Truffle hunting is a complex process that requires painstaking preparation. These mushrooms grow one by one, so you have to spend a lot of time for each specimen found. It is very difficult to move the mushroom away from the tree, since their flesh is very delicate and easily damaged. White truffles appear in October, and according to tradition, a truffle fair is held in Piedmont at this time. This delicacy can be bought at the fair in any form: fresh, canned, dried. Locals call truffles “diamond mushrooms” and “white gold”, and this is justified, because their cost is simply fabulous - up to 8 thousand dollars per kilogram. The yield of Italian truffles changes from year to year, it is impossible to predict it. In years of poor yields, the price of these delicacies can rise significantly. In addition, these mushrooms have a very short fruiting season. In Italy, the search for truffles begins in November. The most expensive, naturally, are fresh truffles. Even many restaurants prepare a special menu during the truffle season. Many people try to grow truffles artificially, and the Chinese manage to do it with black truffles. Although “Chinese black truffle” and “poor quality product” are synonymous, they have their own customers due to their low price. But no one has yet managed to grow white truffles artificially.Truffles have a short shelf life, they are not stored in pure form, but in sauces or oil. Therefore, connoisseurs of Italian truffles manage to taste this delicacy exclusively during the hunting season, and then they spoil. Restaurateurs buy up these mushrooms literally in a matter of days. Fruit body: (modified apothecia) underground, in the form of irregular tubers, usually 2-12 cm in size and weighing 30-300 g. Occasionally there are specimens weighing 1 kg or more. The surface is uneven, covered with a thin velvety skin that does not separate from the pulp, light ocher or brownish in color. The pulp is firm, whitish to yellow-gray in color, sometimes with a reddish tint, with a white and creamy brown marble pattern. The taste is pleasant, the smell is spicy, reminiscent of cheese with garlic. Spore powder, yellowish-brown, spores 40 × 35 microns, oval, reticulate Habitat: forms mycorrhiza with oak, willow and poplar, also found under lindens. Grows in deciduous forests with loose calcareous soil at varying depths. Most common in northwestern Italy (Piedmont) and adjacent regions of France, found in Central Italy, Central and Southern France and other areas of southern Europe. Fruiting period: the collection of the white Piedmont truffle officially begins on September 21st and ends on January 31st. These mushrooms are harvested, only with the help of trained dogs, pigs in Italy for collecting truffles are prohibited. Edible: it is not just an edible mushroom, it is a delicacy. In Italian cuisine, these mushrooms are almost always used raw. They are grated on a special grater and added to sauces or used as a seasoning for various dishes, for example, risotto, salads, scrambled eggs, and so on. Also, seafood, veal, grilled meat are cooked with these mushrooms. The most important thing about truffles is their unique aroma, which becomes even stronger when cooked. This white truffle has light notes of pepper, garlic and honey. Italian truffles taste softer and more refined than black French truffles. They contain more gaseous substances that are released when the pulp is pressed. In the Middle Ages, these mushrooms were harvested in hundreds of tons per season, then they were simply boiled in wine and served as a snack. Gourmets around the world agree that the taste of fresh white truffles is incomparable to other products.

Discovery history

The history of the discovery of truffles is shrouded in mystery, as is the exact number of species. The first mentions are recorded in the fifth century BC. The Greeks actively used this mushroom as a natural aphrodisiac. The medicinal properties were described by a famous scientist of the 11th century AD. Ibn Sinai. And even the great writer Alexander Dumas wrote: "Gourmets of all eras pronounce the word" truffle "taking off their hat."

Since the beginning of time, culinary experts and chefs around the world have used truffles to add unique flavors to their dishes, as well as to create new flavor compositions in their menus.

Kings of all countries demanded dishes with the addition of this mushroom to the table for the natural properties of an aphrodisiac.

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.

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.

Types of mushroom truffle

Summer truffle (Tuber aestivum)

The fruit body is underground, tuberous or rounded, 2.5-10 cm in diameter. The surface is brown-black or bluish-black, covered with black warts. The flesh of a young mushroom is dense, becomes friable over time, the color changes from whitish to brown-yellow and gray-brown, light veins form a marble pattern. The taste is nutty, sweetish, the aroma is pleasant and strong.

It is found in mixed and deciduous forests, on calcareous soils, under oak, beech, hornbeam, birch, in Central Europe, in Russia. The fruiting season begins in summer and lasts until early autumn.

Winter truffle (Tuber brumale)

The fruit body is irregularly spherical to almost round, 8-15 cm in diameter. The weight of an adult mushroom is 1-1.5 kg. The surface is covered with warts, 2-3 mm in size. The color of a young mushroom is reddish-purple, turns black with age. The pulp is white at first, then becomes gray or gray-violet with white and yellowish-brown marble veins. Has a strong and pleasant scent reminiscent of musk.

Grows in France, Italy, Switzerland, Ukraine. Ripens from November to February-March.

Italian truffle (Tuber magnatum)

The fruit body is underground, has the shape of irregular tubers measuring 2-12 cm and weighing 30-300 g. The surface is uneven, velvety, light buffy or brownish, the skin does not separate from the pulp. The pulp is firm, whitish or yellow-gray, sometimes reddish, with a white and creamy brown marble pattern. The taste is pleasant, the smell is spicy, similar to cheese with garlic.

Mycorrhizal forming agent with oak, willow and poplar, lindens. Found in deciduous forests in northwestern Italy (Piedmont), France. The collection of the white Piedmont truffle lasts from 21 September to 31 January.

Black truffle, or Perigor (Tuber melanosporum)

The fruit body is underground, tuberous, round or irregular in shape, 3-9 cm in diameter. The surface is reddish-brown, in old mushrooms it is coal-black, and becomes rusty when pressed. The flesh is firm, light, gray or pinkish-brown in color with a white or reddish marbled pattern, in old mushrooms it is dark. It has a strong characteristic aroma and pleasant taste with slight bitterness.

Grows in deciduous forests, on calcareous soil, most often under oak trees. Distributed in France, Italy and Spain. The season runs from November to March.