Good Lifestyle

If you have already spotted a dish with the word "truffle" in, chances are the next thing you have noticed was the high price tag. Up to caviar, truffles are one of the most expensive foods on the planet (no, we are not talking about those of the variety of chocolate). This raises the following question: Why?

What is a truffle?

Although they are often described as fungi, it is not so simple. "Truffles are not the same as mushrooms, but they are a fungus, like mushrooms," says Ron Hsu, executive head atBetty lazy In Atlanta.

Stephen Parker, the executive head atLot15 In New York, says that a truffle is a type of fungus that can usually be considered a type of fungus "in a definition that considers any fruiting body of spores of a fungalus a fungus." By this definition, a truffle can Be considered a fungus because it is a fruiting body of a fungus.

How do the truffles grow?

Truffles can only develop under very specific conditions, which is a key factor in the high price. Parker explains that they generally grow deep underground, around the roots of certain trees such as oak, hazelnuts, poplar, beech and pines. "These trees and truffles have a symbiotic relationship because tree roots provide sugars to help truffles grow. And in return, truffles give mineral trees and nutrients of the soil," he says.

Because the truffles need perfect conditions to grow, you can not properly change their growth in a greenhouse or in a laboratory, says Parker. Rather, wild mushroom requires a combination of right soil, climate and trees to grow - etc., even with the most perfect conditions, there is no forcing the mother's nature to work his magic, "says Parker.

Truffles occur only naturally. So, as Hsu says, "We are at the mercy of the Mother Nature bonus."

How are the truffles harvested?

The truffles are seasonal and extremely rare. Due to the specific conditions necessary for growth, Parker says that cultivation is an incredibly difficult job. Under ideal conditions, it always takes over seven years so that the truffles grow properly.

In addition, truffles are hard to find because they are buried to one foot at the bottom of the ground. For this reason, they must be hunted by specially trained animals to find truffles. Parker says that the pigs were traditionally used because a perfume of the truffle is said as the testosterone of a wild boar, which attracts the pig. However, there was a little hiccup with this method.

"Not only do the pigs like to eat truffles, but they would often be very excited in their research, damaging the natural environment and thus reducing the rate of production," Parker said. As a result, the use of pigs to hunt truffles has been prohibited in Italy since the mid-1980s, and today, the truffle snack dogs perform the task.

"A strategy is not to disclose where you find truffles, so you do not fight against other truffle hunters," says HSU. It's really every man (and truffle hunting dog) for himself when it comes to getting this delicacy.

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When should you buy truffles?

Because truffles are something of an investment purchase for cooking, you want to make sure to buy them when they are at their highest quality. "Do not buy [truffles] before the end of the second week of September or after the second week of January," Parker says. It explains that the color and shape of the truffle are not important to determine its quality. Instead, you should count on the smell.

"The smells must be a cross between the forest land, cognac, hazelnuts, garlic and cream; rich of notes of mushrooms, hay, garlic and moisture," he says. When running your odor test, it is important to sniff the truffle from all sides so that the aroma is uniform and there is no measure where the smell seems to change, especially S ' It seems acid.

"The true smell of a fresh truffle is strong and should hit you strong," says Parker. "If you can not detect a certain smell, there must be something wrong with the truffle."

While you may not use these tips on a truffle hunting mission, they should give a little more insight into the way the harvesting process is involved. The next time you separate truffle oil on your potatoes, you'll know a little more about the truffles and why they are so expensive.