WHAT IS TRUFFLE?

The Truffle is a hypogean mushroom (which lives underground) in the shape of a tuber, which lives in symbiosis with the roots of some plants, such as, for example, oak, linden, hazel, hornbeam and poplar. It has a fleshy mass called “gleba”, covered with a sort of bark called “peridium”. It consists of a high percentage of water, fibers and 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: a soft soil will favor the growth of a spherical-shaped truffle, while a hard, stony soil with many roots, will favor a lumpy shape.

There are many species of truffle.

The best known and appreciated for gastronomic use are:

Precious White Truffle

Tuber magnatum Pico also known as white truffle
harvest from 1st October to 31st December

Precious Black Truffle

Tuber melanosporum Vitt. also known as black winter truffle
harvested from November 15th to March 15th

Bianchetto

Tuber Borchii
harvest from January 15th to April 30th

Black truffle in summer

Tuber aestivum Vitt. also known as Scorzone Truffle
harvest from 1st May to 30th September

The truffle is also to be considered a real “environmental sentinel”: it does not tolerate pollution and anything else that is harmful to nature.