Italian white truffle (Piedmont truffle): edibility, description and photo

Piedmont truffle is an underground representative of the mushroom kingdom, formed in the form of irregular tubers. Belongs to the truffle family. The name comes from the Piedmont region, located in northern Italy. It is there that this nondescript delicacy grows, for which many are ready to give a decent amount. There are other names: real white, Italian truffle.

What does Piedmontese truffle look like?

Fruiting bodies are irregularly shaped underground tubers. Their size ranges from 2 to 12 cm, and weight – from 30 to 300 g. In Piedmont, you can get on specimens that weigh more than 1 kg, but such a find is rare.

Italian white truffle (Piedmont truffle): edibility, description and photo

The uneven surface of the Piedmontese mushroom feels velvety to the touch.

The color of the skin can be light ocher or brownish. The coating does not separate from the pulp.

Spores are oval, reticulate. The spore powder is colored yellow-brown.

The flesh has a white or yellowish-gray hue, there are reddish specimens inside. In the section, you can see a marble pattern of white or creamy brown. The pulp is firm in texture.

Important! The taste of mushrooms from Piedmont is considered aristocratic, the smell is vaguely reminiscent of the aroma of cheese with garlic.

Where does the white Italian truffle grow?

This representative of the mushroom kingdom is found in the deciduous forests of Italy, France and southern Europe. Piedmont mushroom forms mycorrhiza with poplar, oak, willow, linden. Prefers loose limestone soils. The depth of occurrence is different, ranging from a few centimeters to 0,5 m.

Attention! Truffle in Piedmont begins to be harvested from the third decade of September, and ends at the end of January. The collection season lasts 4 months.

Is it possible to eat Piedmontese truffle

Truffle from Piedmont is a delicacy that not everyone gets to taste. Difficulties with the collection, rarity lead to the fact that the price of these mushrooms is very high.

False doubles

Similar species include:

Tuber gibbosum growing in the northwestern United States of America. The name gibbosum means “humped”, which very accurately characterizes the appearance of the underground fungus. When ripe, thickenings form on its surface, resembling irregularly shaped petals or humps on large specimens. This species is edible, used similarly to European representatives of the mushroom kingdom. Truffle flavor adds sophistication to the dish;

Italian white truffle (Piedmont truffle): edibility, description and photo

This representative of the Truffle family is found in coniferous forests, because. forms mycorrhiza with Douglas fir

Choiromyces meandriformis or Trinity truffle found in Our Country. The mushroom does not have the same value as the European counterpart. It grows in deciduous, coniferous and mixed forests at a depth of 7-10 cm. Fruit body dimensions: diameter 5-9 cm, weight 200-300 g. There are also larger specimens weighing about 0,5 kg, up to 15 cm in diameter. resembles a rounded-flattened felt tuber of a yellowish-brown color. The flesh is light, similar in appearance to a potato streaked with marble veins. The aroma is specific, the taste is mushroom, with a nutty note. The mushroom is classified as edible. You can find it by tubercles on the soil and a specific aroma. Animals often find it, and only then a person begins to collect the delicacy.

Italian white truffle (Piedmont truffle): edibility, description and photo

Season of appearance – from August to November

Rules for collection and use

In Piedmont, dogs are trained to pick mushrooms.

The war for the most expensive mushrooms

Attention! The smell of Italian pig specimens is good, but these animals are forbidden to be used to search for a delicacy species.

The harvested crop is stored for a short time. Each tuber is wrapped in a paper towel and placed in a glass container. In this form, fruiting bodies can be kept in the refrigerator for no more than 7 days.

Italians prefer to use raw white truffles.

Truffles are rubbed on a special grater and added as a seasoning to risotto, sauces, and scrambled eggs.

Italian white truffle (Piedmont truffle): edibility, description and photo

Meat and mushroom salads involve cutting Piedmont truffles into thin slices

Useful qualities

Truffles contain vitamins of group B and PP, which makes them useful for pregnant and lactating women, teenage children who experience nutritional deficiencies during growing up.

Attention! Truffle aroma is considered the strongest aphrodisiac, when it is inhaled, attraction to the opposite sex increases.

Conclusion

Piedmont truffle is a valuable representative of the mushroom kingdom, which is in great demand among gourmets. You can try the delicacy at the mushroom festival held in Italy. The best truffle hunters are specially trained dogs that can take years to train.

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