White truffle

There are little whims and delicacies that we have from time to time and then there is the white truffle. It is probably one of the most expensive delicacies in the world. Its scientific name is Tuber magnamatum Peak and it is also known by the name of tartufo bianco. It is considered one of the most exclusive delicacies that a person can take.

In this article we are going to talk about the characteristics of the white truffle, its properties and its cultivation. Do you want to know more about this delicacy?

Table of Contents

  • 1 Key features
  • 2 Insanity prices
  • 3 Properties of the white truffle
  • 4 Spain and the truffle tradition

Key features

Interior of the white truffle

Harvesting takes place during the autumn months only. More specifically in the months of October to December and the fact that its production and collection is so low has made it a very expensive delicacy.

Generally, the wild way in which it grows takes place in the Italian Piedmont area, hence its common name of tartufo bianco. It also grows in the Alba area, northwest of Italy. The name of the truffle is due to its discoverer Vittorio Pico who identified it at the end of the XNUMXth century.

And, in fact, they have become so expensive that there are people who they have come to pay 6.000 euros for a kilo of white truffle. There are very few specimens of white tartufo per year that are collected. The main use is destined to those luxury restaurants that acquire them to be able to flavor their dishes. The cost of the dishes in which the white truffle appears also has an exorbitant cost. It is a luxury that few people can achieve.

However, it is nothing more than a completely wild type of mushroom characterized by its whitish skin. Hence the name of white truffle. What makes it more expensive is the difficulty of collecting it. Its harvest season is very short and there is no way to plant it artificially. This is why it costs so much. In this world, what you can make in large quantities is cheaper. That which is limited is more expensive.

Insanity prices

plate with white truffle

For anyone who has sown truffle plants you can know what we are talking about. Something that you cannot grow by yourself and that only depends on what is in nature causes its prices to be crazy. Until today, the record for the price paid for this delicacy was in northwestern Italy and amounts to almost 100.000 euros. The exorbitant price was paid by a Japanese man with two white truffles weighing about one kilogram.

Imagine what people are capable of paying for two truffles and then there are people starving all over the world. But hey, we are not going to enter into a debate. If we want to taste the white tartufo properly, we must avoid cooking it. When it is cooked it loses a large amount of its nutrients and the exquisite flavor. The most suitable thing is to consume it as a flavoring in the different dishes that can be created. For example, the most famous Italian risotto is flavored with white truffle and gives it a unique flavor. If the delicacy in itself is worth that money, you don’t want to know how much the risotto can cost.

It is something so expensive that also It is known as the white diamond of the kitchen. When the season of this tuber arrives, fairs with gastronomic tastings are held. It is weighed with high precision scales, just as if they were jewelry. Every gram counts and increases the price enormously. At 6.000 euros per kilo, each gram of truffle would be 60 euros. It is totally exacerbated.

Properties of the white truffle

White truffle delicacy

This tuber usually grows between 15 and 40 centimeters below the surface of the soil. When picked up, it looks similar to a chestnut. Beneath the toughest skin is the truffle. To be able to find them underground without using excavators or destroying everything there dogs are used, although the best truffle hunters are wild boars.

Wild boars focus on the intense and pronounced smell they have to go out on the hunt. Once you find them, you can see their fine and velvet-textured skin, reddish brown in color and with a little yellowish inside.

It is not only valued for the flavor it gives to food, but also because it is very healthy and nutritious. It provides a large amount of fiber, vitamin B12, potassium, iron, iodine, carbohydrates to a lesser extent, and water. But this does not end here. In less quantity, this tuber also has magnesium, selenium, vitamin C, polyunsaturated fatty acids, calcium, zinc, vitamin B6 and vitamin E.

That is, in just one food there are so many nutrients, which makes it so highly valued.

Spain and the truffle tradition

White truffle seekers

It is not only in Italy that this truffle tradition has been around for a long time. In Spain, this tradition is followed and production accounts for 50% worldwide. We are the absolute leader in the production of black truffles that are also very exquisite but much more affordable.

It is used to give a more refined touch to simpler dishes such as risotto or simple fried eggs. If you prepare the fried egg with salt, oil and flavor it with truffle, the quality of the dish increases to the point of entering the gourmet category.

There is also the white truffle pâté, although its price is still very expensive. Its elaboration is expensive and time consuming, which makes it a very inexpensive product. Just 15 grams of truffle pate costs more than 24 euros. With 15 grams you don’t even have to spread a little bread completely. However, it is that its aroma is so powerful that only a small amount of it is capable of turning the plant into a delicacy.

I hope that with this information you can learn more about the white truffle and how demanded this delicacy is.

White truffle

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