Truffle is the most delicious and expensive mushroom on the planet. It has a pungent odor and exceptional taste. This mushroom was named due to its resemblance to potatoes. Truffle is a representative of the Department of Ascomycetes, a genus of marsupials. Basically, this mushroom is the size of a plum, but there are exceptions - some fruits can reach the size of an apple, and weigh more than 1 kg.

Truffle Description

Truffle is a mushroom with underground bodies between the rhizomes of trees. It is, in fact, a parasite that draws nutrients from the roots of trees. Fortunately, the trees themselves, it does not harm. Outwardly, it may look similar to potatoes. The outer layer is smooth, or covered with cracks, and can also be covered with numerous "warts".

Important! White truffle mushroom specimens are considered the most exquisite. They grow on a limited area, they are forbidden to breed.

The popularity of truffle mushroom can be explained by several factors. The ensemble of taste and aroma of truffle is eternally remembered. The genus of this mushroom has more than 100 species. They are divided into biological and geographical groups, as well as gourmet preferences (white, black, red).

Truffle Habitat

There are many types of this plant. Their habitat directly depends on the subspecies.

The main modifications of truffles:

1. Black summer. It grows in Europe, some parts of the Crimea, in several regions of Russia. The smell is similar to algae.
2. Black winter. This genus lives in Switzerland, Italy, Ukraine, France. Has a musky imprint.
3. Black perigorsk. Cultivation places: European regions, Crimean peninsula, Australian continent, New Zealand, China, South Africa. This species is the most fragrant of all subspecies.
4. White Piedmontese. Basically, its location is the northern part of Italy. This species emits the aroma of garlic cheese.
5. White Oregon - grows in the USA, in a westerly direction. The bouquet plays notes of grass and flowers.
6. Autumn. It can be found in the northern and eastern regions of France, sometimes in Italy. In the fragrance of this species, you can catch nut and chocolate.
7. Asian. It is found in China, India, Korea. It does not have a pronounced aroma.

Today, the stupefying mushroom knows no boundaries and continents; it finds conditions that suit it in deciduous and mixed forests. The main condition is calcareous and sandy soil. Temperature is also important, it should be above + 10 ° C, and water in the soil should not be delayed.

Did you know? The truffle mushroom is considered the most expensive dish on the planet. The price for it is more expensive than not only black caviar, but even gold.

Not a small amount will have to be paid for genuine truffles - Perigorsk, Piedmontese and winter. Their habitat is deciduous forests in the south of France, the northern side of Italy and Switzerland.

Do truffles grow in Russia

Despite the fact that the rare fruit loves the mild southern environment more, it can also be found in Russia.

In the role of “partner”, the mushroom chooses the following trees:

• beech;
• Birch tree;
• hazel;
• oak;
• cherry.

Russian truffle is a black summer mushroom. The diameter is 10 cm, weighing about 400 g. His year is determined by the inside: the shade is beige, gray-brown. During ripening, the internal consistency of the fetus changes: in younger mushrooms, it is denser, in old - porous. The bouquet is sweet, the “imprint” is similar to hazelnut.

Did you know? There are many culinary creations from truffles, but the most outcast gourmets use them in raw, thin slices.

If you put and hold a truffle in a vessel with water, it will acquire the taste of soy sauce. This dish is found in Europe, the western regions of Russia. The collection season is from June to October. Although, experienced searchers continue excavations until late autumn, and sometimes even under the snow.

In addition to the summer, in the open spaces of the Russian Federation it is possible to meet a white Polish truffle. It is also called "cow bread", it is hidden in the roots of oaks. The fungus is noticed in sandstone or clay soil under birches, aspen and hazel. The diameter is from 5 to 15 cm, and the mass can reach up to 500 g. The collection is carried out from July to November.

Truffle Growth Regions in Russia

In Russia, a fragrant delicacy is found on the Black Sea, as well as in the Caucasus. Basically, these are summer truffles that are worth looking for in deciduous forests. In the expanses of the Russian Federation, representatives of ascomycetes can be collected in the Tula and Oryol, Voronezh regions, and some subspecies can be found near Moscow and Smolensk. It was also mined in the Samara Territory, Transcaucasia and Crimea. Occasionally found in the region of the Leningrad and Volgograd regions.

Video: Russian Truffle

Search Methods

To find a marsupial mushroom in a natural circle, you need to know the following:

• they live at the roots (mainly oaks);
• in places of search the soil should be moist;
• sluggish vegetation in the delicacy growing area;
• it is advisable to know marsupials “in person”, to consider a photo first, and preferably in kind;
• You can arm yourself for search with our smaller brothers, trained for this cause. For such tasks, dogs or pigs are specially trained - they can show the location of the truffles;
• the plant can rarely appear on the surface of the soil, you should be careful about the mounds, dig them out.

Truffle grows more often in families. If you find one individual, you need to look closely for the remaining "relatives". It is also necessary to know that there is a real truffle, and false. Fruits should be looked out for near trees with large roots. The mushroom bed can also be determined by another criterion - at sunset, on a sunny day, yellowish midges swarm over the place of truffles, attracted by the smell of the pulp of this underground plant.

Did you know? A dog trained to search for truffles can cost more than 5,000 euros.

If you have chosen a pig as a hunting assistant, you need to put a muzzle on it. Since these animals are very fond of eating a famous treat. Truffle fragrance is expressively audible at night, so it’s more efficient to organize a search in the evening.

Homemade Truffle Growing

For a successful start, it is necessary that 3 factors coincide:

• trees;
• weather;
• correct soil.

A humid and warm climate is ideal, and the soil should be soft and rich in minerals. Today, whole groves are grown from oak acorns, under which they found the fruits of the mushroom. Or an alternative - infection of the roots of a tree seedling with prepared mushroom mycelium. To grow a truffle, it will take a lot of time and financial investment.

Important! Before planting, seedlings can not be fertilized - this can adversely affect the development of spores.

Because of this, the amount laid out for personally grown truffles differs little from the price of a naturally grown mushroom. But the taste of an artificial delicacy may differ for the better.

If you decide to take a chance and grow a truffle mushroom yourself, you need to consider:

1. Microclimate. It should be stable in the warm season and in winter. The plant does not like temperature changes.
2. Trees. Their rhizomes must be infected with fungal spores. The price of an already "infected" seedling is 10-15 dollars.
3. A place. In the area where the landing is planned, there should be no scorching sun, wind, animals.
4. Priming. Must be alkaline. You can add lime.
5. Landing. The best time is spring, when the weather has stabilized. Planting trees is necessary when the soil is loosened and cultivated.
6. Top dressing. It is necessary to use ready-made fertilizers.
7. Cover the plant greenhouse film.

In addition, there should not be shrubs, and especially other mushrooms, near the landing. We must be vigilant that no one trample this piece of land. The first crops can be expected in 5–7 years after planting seedlings. The fruiting period is approximately 25-30 years.

Truffle is a mysterious plant, to this day it is not clear how it grows. The number of species of truffles that exist on Earth is also not truly known. But it is precisely clear - this is the most refined mushroom in all aspects.

Video: Truffle Growing