What is Truffle

 

Truffles are the fruiting bodies of certain hypogean fungi (from the Greek ypo – under and gè – earth), which are globose, rounded, tuber-shaped, and live in symbiosis with the roots of certain plants, such as oak, lime, hazel, hornbeam, and poplar. They are the fruiting bodies of a complex number of filaments (hyphae), which form a complex branching network that extends into the soil, forming the actual body of the hypogean fungus.

BLACK TRUFFLE PLANTS

Downy Oak

The downy oak is the most common oak species in Italy, so much so that in many localities it is simply called "oak". It belongs to the Fagaceae family and is a slow-growing tree.

Scientific name: Quercus pubescens

Higher classification: Oak

Class: Magnoliopsida

Subfamily: Quercoideae

Holm Oak

The holm oak, also called "elce", is an evergreen tree belonging to the Fagaceae family, widespread in Mediterranean basin countries. In Italy, it is native to milder climate zones, where it is also very common in gardens and city avenues.

Scientific name: Quercus ilex

Higher classification: Quercus sect. Quercus

Class: Magnoliopsida

Division: Magnoliophyta

Subfamily: Quercoideae

Turkey Oak

The Turkey oak is a deciduous tree belonging to the Fagaceae family.

Scientific name: Quercus cerris

Higher classification: Oak

Subfamily: Quercoideae

Lime Tree

The Lime Tree is a genus of arboreal or shrubby plants in the mallow family, native to the Northern Hemisphere.

Scientific name: Tilia

Higher classification: Tilioideae

Class: Magnoliopsida

Division: Magnoliophyta

Hazelnut

The Hazelnut is a fruit tree belonging to the Betulaceae family.

Scientific name: Corylus avellana

Extinction risk: Least Concern Encyclopedia of Life

Higher classification: Corylus

Class: Magnoliopsida

Division: Magnoliophyta

Subfamily: Coryloideae

European Hop-Hornbeam

The European hop-hornbeam, also known as hornbeam, ostria, or less frequently, carpinello, is a tree of the Betulaceae family.

Scientific name: Ostrya carpinifolia

Higher classification: Ostrya

Subfamily: Coryloideae

Cistus

Cistus L., 1753 is a genus of small evergreen shrubs or frutices belonging to the Cistaceae family.

Scientific name: Cistus

Higher classification: Cistaceae

Class: Magnoliopsida

WHITE TRUFFLE PLANTS

Pedunculate Oak

The pedunculate oak is a deciduous tree belonging to the Fagaceae family. It is the type species of the genus Quercus. It is the most widespread oak in Europe, and its range is quite vast. This plant is characterized by its considerable size and slow growth.

Scientific name: Quercus robur

Extinction risk: Least Concern Encyclopedia of Life

Class: Magnoliopsida

Higher classification: Oak

Division: Magnoliophyta

Turkey Oak

The Turkey oak is a deciduous tree belonging to the Fagaceae family.

Scientific name: Quercus cerris

Higher classification: Oak

Subfamily: Quercoideae

Sessile Oak

The sessile oak, or rovere, is a semi-deciduous first-magnitude oak belonging to the Fagaceae family.

Scientific name: Quercus petraea

Higher classification: Oak

Class: Magnoliopsida

Division: Magnoliophyta

Downy Oak

The downy oak is the most common oak species in Italy, so much so that in many localities it is simply called "oak". It belongs to the Fagaceae family and is a slow-growing tree.

Scientific name: Quercus pubescens

Higher classification: Oak

Class: Magnoliopsida

Subfamily: Quercoideae

Black Poplar

The black poplar is a tree of the Salicaceae family, native to central-southern Europe, North Africa and western Asian regions.

Scientific name: Populus nigra

Class: Magnoliopsida

Extinction risk: Least Concern Encyclopedia of Life

Higher classification: Poplar

Division: Magnoliophyta

White Poplar

The white poplar, also known as silver poplar, gattice or albera, is a deciduous tree of the Salicaceae family.

Scientific name: Populus alba

Class: Magnoliopsida

Higher classification: Poplar

Division: Magnoliophyta

Aspen

The aspen is a tree of the Salicaceae family.

Scientific name: Populus tremula

Higher classification: Poplar

Division: Magnoliophyta

Goat Willow

The goat willow or pussy willow is a plant of the Salicaceae family.

Scientific name: Salix caprea

Higher classification: Willow

Class: Magnoliopsida

Division: Magnoliophyta

White Willow

The white willow, also called pole willow, is a plant of the Salicaceae family.

Scientific name: Salix alba

Extinction risk: Least Concern (Stable) Encyclopedia of Life

Higher classification: Willow

Division: Magnoliophyta

Lime Tree

The Lime Tree is a genus of arboreal or shrubby plants in the mallow family, native to the Northern Hemisphere.

Scientific name: Tilia

Higher classification: Tilioideae

Class: Magnoliopsida

Division: Magnoliophyta

European Hop-Hornbeam

The European hop-hornbeam, also known as hornbeam, ostria, or less frequently, carpinello, is a tree of the Betulaceae family.

Scientific name: Ostrya carpinifolia

Higher classification: Ostrya

Subfamily: Coryloideae

Hazelnut

The Hazelnut is a fruit tree belonging to the Betulaceae family.

Scientific name: Corylus avellana

Extinction risk: Least Concern Encyclopedia of Life

Higher classification: Corylus

Class: Magnoliopsida

Division: Magnoliophyta

Subfamily: Coryloideae

Truffles belong to the class of Ascomycetes, order Tuberales, genus Tuber. They reproduce through spores, cells a few tens of microns in size, present in large numbers within the gleba (flesh). They complete their life cycle entirely underground, living in mycorrhizal symbiosis with certain higher plants.

It has a fleshy mass called the "gleba", covered by a kind of rind called the "peridium". It is composed in high percentage of;

• water,
• fibers,
• mineral salts,
• organic substances supplied by the tree with which it lives in symbiosis.

The shape depends on the characteristics of the soil in which it develops: soft soil will favor the growth of a spherical truffle,

while hard, stony soil with many roots will favor a bumpy shape.

The truffle is also to be considered a real "environmental sentinel": In fact, it does not tolerate pollution or anything else harmful to nature.

They are formed by an external wall (rind or peridium) of varying thickness, with the typical color and appearance of the species, and an internal part (flesh or gleba) of varying color and traversed by veins that delimit alveoli in which the asci, containing the spores that have a reproductive function, are immersed.

TRUFFLE BIOLOGICAL CYCLE

The production of the precious fruiting body is linked to symbiosis with arboreal or shrubby plants. The exchange of substances between the two partners (the truffle and the plant) occurs at the root level in particular formations called mycorrhizae, structured in a characteristic way for each species.

Mycorrhizae are a kind of sleeve formed by several layers of septate tubes called hyphae; these interweave and surround the tips of the terminal rootlets of the tree and, penetrating between the first levels of root cells, form a network: it is through this bond that the plant offers the fungus various substances, receiving mainly water and mineral salts in return. Many hyphae then branch off from the network, spreading through the soil in search of nutrients.

The hyphae together are called the mycelium. In due course, i.e., when all the necessary environmental conditions are met, some hyphae interweave and give rise to the formation of the fruiting body, in whose gleba the spores differentiate. It is precisely the spores, germinating, that will give rise to a new mycelium that will be able, by joining with the young root tips, to form new mycorrhizae.

Unlike epigean fungi, which develop fruiting bodies above ground, hypogean fungi cannot use air currents for spore dispersal.

Evolution has therefore endowed them with a strong odor, perceptible only when the spores mature, which attracts insects and mammals, which, by feeding on the truffle, ensure the dispersal of the spores.

WHAT TRUFFLE SPECIES EXIST?

Precious White Truffle

Tuber Magnatum Pico

Harvest period: from September to January.

The white truffle is considered the truffle par excellence, its aroma is unmistakable. Among truffle species, it is certainly the most precious.

Serving suggestions: ideal for appetizers, first courses, meat or fish main courses, eggs. Use only raw.

Precious Black Truffle

Tuber Melanosporum Vittadini

Harvest period: from December to March.

Also known as Norcia truffle, Spoleto truffle, or truffe de Perigord by the French. After the white truffle, it is considered the most prized commercially and is one of the protagonists of international cuisine. It has a black rind and a dark interior with white veins.

Serving suggestions: ideal for appetizers, first courses, meat or fish main courses, eggs, and desserts. Tolerates short cooking times.

Black Hooked Truffle

Tuber Uncinatum Chatin Vittadini

Harvest period: from October to January.

It belongs to the same species as the summer truffle, but its aroma is stronger. The exterior is black, and the interior is hazelnut-colored.

Serving suggestions: ideal for appetizers, first courses, meat or fish main courses, eggs.

Summer Black Truffle

Tuber Aestivum Vittadini

Harvest period: from May to August.

The summer truffle or "scorzone" is very similar to the hooked black truffle. Among truffle species, it is the most widespread. Its unmistakable aroma is sweet, pleasant; its taste delicate.

Serving suggestions: ideal for appetizers, first courses, meat or fish main courses, eggs.

Bianchetto Truffle

Tuber Borchii Vittadini

Harvesting period: from January to April.

This truffle is known as "marzuolo," given its harvesting period. Its distinctive feature is its strong aroma and decidedly garlicky taste.

Serving suggestions: ideal for appetizers, first courses, and meat or fish main courses.

The most well-known and appreciated species for gastronomic use are: Fine White Truffle (Tuber magnatum Pico), Fine Black Truffle (Tuber melanosporum vittad.), Summer Truffle (Tuber aestivum Vittd.)