Introduction
"Fruit of the fusion of lightning, water and earth": it is with this aphorism that the ancient Greeks connoted the truffle, a tuber that currently has such an importance as to be considered by gastronomic critics the black diamond.
Truffles are tuberal mushrooms, appreciated for their penetrating but at the same time delicate scent, and for their distinctive and unmistakable flavor.
Generalities and legends
The importance of the truffle is such as to make it even the subject of an entire chapter of science: idnology, the study, therefore, of truffles.
The belief that associated the truffle with an "outgrowth of the earth is credited with the vulgarization of the term terrae tufer - later transformed into territùfru - attributed to black Diamond.
However, the origin of the truffles is still not clear.
Botanical description
According to the botanical nomenclature, the truffle is Tuber magnatum, and belongs to the family of Tuberaceae. Truffles, with an underground body (hypogeum), grow and develop spontaneously near the roots of shrubs or trees: more precisely, the mycelium of truffles establishes a symbiotic relationship with the root system of oaks, willows and holm oaks.
The truffle is internally made up of a fleshy mass (gleba), and is covered with a hard rind (peridium); the tubers have a typical and recognizable rounded shape, appearing - generally - as big as an "apricot".
The truffle loves calcareous and clayey soils: the Piedmont soil reflects all the optimal characteristics for the development of truffles, but these mushrooms are also widespread in Tuscany, Umbria, Emilia Romagna and Lombardy.
Peculiar characteristics
The color, scent and flavor of the truffle depend both on the soil in which the mushroom grows and on the type of tree in which it grows. To give an example, truffles that live in symbiosis with lime roots will have a light color and an aromatic flavor, unlike those attached to oak, with a marked, pregnant and penetrating scent.
The shape of the truffle is greatly influenced by the characteristics of the soil: in compact ones, the mushroom tends to take on a globular and knotty conformation due to the difficulties in developing, while in soft lands, the truffle is smoother, more homogeneous and rounded.
Truffle collection
The collection of truffles, which can take place at any time of the year (with the exception of the end of April), is carried out with adequately trained dogs, usually mongrels. In any case, tradition teaches that the collection of truffles must be carried out using pigs: the biggest problem is that pigs are greedy for truffles, so it is difficult to stop them from swallowing the precious black diamond.
Variety of truffles
There are many varieties of truffles, but the best known are the white and black ones.
The white truffle is certainly the most precious, both in gastronomic and economic terms: the value of the white truffle, in fact, is often very high. In Piedmontese dialect, the white truffle is better known as trifola, while in the Veneto there is talk of truffle; yet, another very common appellation of the white truffle is Truffle of Alba. The value of the white variety of truffles is such as to be explicit even in the botanical name: in the scientific nomenclature, the white truffle is Tuber magnatum, from which "magnatum" means tycoon, rich. The white truffle has a characteristic marbled appearance and gives off an intense and acrid smell.
The Tuber melanosporum (from “melanos”, black spore) embodies the black variety of truffles, for some even better than the white one: in this category of truffles, the most prized of all is the one from Norcia. The pulp (gleba) is black, sometimes tending to reddish, and has whitish and thick streaks. The smell is rather pleasant and not excessively pungent.
Property
They say of the truffle that the fragrant and intense substances emanating can cause a particular state of well-being and attraction towards the opposite sex: in other words, the truffle seems to boast aphrodisiac properties, but this virtue must still be fully ascertained.
The truffle does not bring many calories: in fact, 100 grams of product have only 31Kcal. These very particular mushrooms are not very interesting from a phytotherapeutic point of view, nor nutritional, if not for the richness in fibers and mineral salts wisely absorbed by the soil. In this regard, the truffle is an excellent natural remedy in case of demineralization.
When associated with other foods, then used as a sort of aromatic spice, the truffle facilitates its digestion; vice versa, when its consumption becomes habitual, the truffle can embody a potential danger for the liver and stomach. Not surprisingly, it is not recommended for patients with liver disease and kidney disease.
In the light of recent studies, other interesting peculiarities have emerged: the truffle, interacting with melanin, is able to lighten the skin. In this regard, the consumption of truffles is not recommended in case of tanning, while it is useful in the treatment of skin spots caused by accumulation of melanic pigment.
Truffle in brief, summary of the properties of the truffle "
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