Black truffles: description

Black truffles are a kind of marsupial fungi, the fruiting bodies of which develop under the ground. Gourmets are ready to pay incredible money, just to feel their exquisite taste and aroma. The price per kilogram of real black truffles reaches thousands of dollars or more. And the demand for these products in expensive restaurants does not decrease.

Mushroom black truffle

Fruit bodies ripening in the soil form mycorrhizas with a root system of oak or other deciduous trees. The black truffle (photo above) usually has an irregular or fusiform shape, reaching from 3 to 9 cm in diameter. The surface is dark (reddish-brown), when ripe - black, painted when pressed into rust colors. The marble texture on the gray or pinkish background is clearly visible on the slice of the pulp.

Since in the natural environment the depth at which the fruiting bodies develop may be up to half a meter, the search for black truffles was previously performed with the help of trained pigs. Specific smell of mushrooms attracts animals for tens of meters, and they clearly indicate the place to their masters, trying to dig them out. Truffles are served in restaurants in raw (as seasoning) or cooked. The taste of the "black diamond" piquant with a characteristic aroma and barely expressed bitterness.

Characteristics

It is believed that black truffles can awaken sensual associations and specific desires. The aroma of real mushrooms resembles a bouquet of smells, in which walnuts, moss, berries, fallen leaves on forest soil are guessed. Although the chemistry truffle is not anything special, gourmets in expensive restaurants order a delicacy as an exquisite seasoning or an addition to the main dish.

The quality of the product does not depend on the proportions of the fungus. Although in restaurants prefer sizes not more than an orange. Such a mushroom is convenient to cut into thin slices, so that you can evaluate the original appearance and clearly showed the marble texture on the cut. The largest specimen of black truffle (2.5 kg) was found in 1951.

Similar species

Specialists distinguish more than 40 varieties of truffles. They are divided into genera, singling out groups among them depending on the region: Italian (Piedmont), Perigorsky, Oregon, Chinese, Black Russian, Himalayan, Central Asian. According to the season of ripening, summer and winter subspecies are distinguished. Traditionally, black truffles are considered real.

Differences are manifested in appearance. A characteristic black color with a warty surface can be changed to almost smooth and creamy and even almost white. The marble texture on the cut is also different. Appreciated contrast dark with bright white veins. Although the "white Piedmontese" truffle with an inexpressive faded pattern as the rarer one can cost even more. The taste of real black truffles is bright and full. Winter varieties have a more intense musky flavor.

Medium of growth

Look for black truffles in the deciduous forests. Soil they prefer light, porous, calcareous. It is extremely difficult to determine the location of the possible growth of fungi in advance. Influenced by many factors: the level of groundwater, abundance of rainfall, the age of trees, the composition of the accompanying vegetation, climatic features of the region and a specific site.

Black truffles in Russia are little known to mushroom pickers. The specific nature of their search imposes additional conventions. If anyone accidentally saw a similar mushroom, miraculously made its way to the surface and in time not found wild animals, then recognize it as a representative of the truffle family, not everyone is ready.

The harvest season depends on the species. Winter truffles are ripening since October. In areas with a warm climate, the season begins in the early days of the new year and lasts until March. Summer truffles can be searched until late autumn. Historical places of growth - France, Italy, Spain. But similar species can be found throughout the European continent. In Russia, due to the climate and the deep freezing of the soil, only the summer variety of truffles grows.

Search Features

Collecting black truffles with the help of trained pigs is not always convenient. They have an inborn sense of smell, but it's hard to train them. In addition, they quickly become tired. When a find is found, they try to open the fungus as soon as possible, damaging the soil.

The dog, trained on the smell of truffles, is more profitable in this respect. But to prepare a good bloodhound, you need time and practice. The learning process follows a standard pattern. From the puppy's age food is added to food with the smell of truffles. It is prepared on broths of mushrooms. They also rub various objects, hide them, and then offer to find a hiding place. Later the burial is buried in the ground. In parallel, accustom to the area where the collection is planned.

Find the place of growth of truffles, according to experts, you can and by the presence of digging midges. Red flies are chosen places where truffles grow, for laying eggs. Of these, larvae hatch in the soil, which penetrate into the fruiting body and feed on it until it ripens. It is possible to define truffle places and on abundantly dug up soil. Wild pigs, moose and other animals also like to eat delicacy.

Artificial cultivation

The complexity of this process is determined by the way the spores are spread. Mushrooms ripen under the ground, and therefore the species has adapted to survive in special conditions. Mushrooms with spores are eaten by wild animals, pass through the digestive tract and with secretions again fall into the soil. If the conditions are appropriate, they germinate, form mycorrhizas with the root system of deciduous trees. After some time the fruit bodies of truffles grow from the developed mycelium.

There were successful attempts to grow mushrooms on artificial plantations. Acorns from oaks, at the foot of which truffles were found, were collected and disposed in prepared soil. After 6-7 years, the roots of some young oaks were found to be filaments of mycelium. After a while the fruit bodies of mushrooms appeared. Currently, black truffles are cultivated in different countries. Large quantities of quality products are supplied from China. Well proven and the Australian system of cultivation.

Black truffles among tomatoes

This sort of tomato is not widespread among gardeners and gardeners. But thanks to the exotic appearance of the fruit, it is increasingly being asked by buyers. There is debate about the origin of the variety. Some argue that the tomato is derived by Russian selection. However, they are usually classified as "Japanese truffle". Black is also present in the color range of the fruit. What is special about these tomatoes? Just for the sake of exotic color breeders brought out this variety?

Such tomatoes are classified as mid-ripening varieties. From the appearance of the first shoots to fruiting, an average of 115 days. The bush with proper care is formed with a height of up to 1.5-2 meters and requires a mandatory garter. Tomatoes are tied in the hands. On the stem of their usually formed 5-6 groups, has time to mature 3-4 brushes. Undressed tomatoes are harvested and set aside for ripening. They can reach the condition by the beginning of winter, if they were collected in October. The average weight of tomatoes is about 100-150 grams. From one bush it is possible to collect up to 4 kg. Pulp of fruit is dense, there is little seed. To taste tomatoes sweetish, with barely perceptible sourness. The color of the peel is shiny. The sides are distinguished by longitudinal grooves.

Tomato "truffle black": reviews

The merits of the variety include the ability to withstand temperature changes and a short drop in temperature. Fruits ripen before the first autumn frosts. Undigent tomatoes can persist at normal temperature for 3-4 months. There is also a high resistance of "truffles" to fungal infections.

Ripe fruits are good for canning. In the bank they look original. It also looks like a salad of fresh tomatoes, where among the standard red and yellow shades there are pieces of saturated dark brown with a purple tint (eggplant) color. In the tomato variety, "Japanese truffle" is distinguished by several species. The most original is the tomato "black truffle".

The description of the remaining subspecies differs in the color range of the fruit. In addition to the traditional red shade, it is still pink and yellow. The fruits of all colors have a characteristic pear-shaped form. The skin of the fruit and the flesh are dense, the variety can withstand transportation well. To taste tomatoes of different colors are different. The sweetest species are yellow. They can be compared to fruits, but "black truffles" have a peculiar (noble) taste.