Unusual mushrooms. Truffle mushrooms: description of species, places of collection and cultivation features How to distinguish a real truffle from a false one
WHAT ARE THE MUSHROOMS GROWING UNDERGROUND? and got the best answer
Answer from Natalia Yitova[guru]
UNDERGROUND MUSHROOMS FOR KINGS
If there are "royal mushrooms" in the world, then these are, of course, truffles. Firstly, they are the most expensive mushrooms of all that are eaten by humans. A kilo of the best truffles can cost more than $4,000, much more than gold. Secondly, these mushrooms are rare. Of course, representatives of the genus Tuberales are found in the warm regions of the temperate zones of both hemispheres, in Australia alone there are at least 40 species, but ... Outstanding gastronomic advantages, for which truffles are appreciated by gourmets, are far from being possessed by all. Let's say common in our middle lane deer truffle practically unsuitable for food. Most of all, it looks like a raincoat mushroom (aka grandfather tobacco), except perhaps underground. The so-called steppe truffles, or tombolans, which grow in abundance throughout Southern Europe, North Africa and Southwest Asia, are edible, but they are also far from the taste of "real" truffles. Finally, thirdly, truffles are secretive mushrooms. They grow underground, and finding them is not an easy task. At best, the fungus gives out a barely noticeable tubercle on the soil surface or a slightly crawling out light yellow “back” (the truffle does not have the usual hat or leg - it looks more like a potato in shape). And this is really the best case. Because the most valuable, elite truffles are hidden at a depth of 8-10, or even 15-20 cm. It is clear that without outside help a person cannot find them ...
The most reliable "pathfinders" are pigs, or rather boars. They associate the smell of truffle with the secretions of the female. True, having found an underground mushroom, the boar immediately starts eating. If it is not stopped in time, the person will not get anything, and the cherished mushroom place will be hopelessly damaged.
It is easier with dogs: having caught the mushroom spirit, they stop pointing out the place where exactly the tartufayo mushroom picker should pick in the ground. By the way, the smell of underground delicacies is better smelled by females. However, dogs for truffle "hunting" have to be trained almost longer than for game. First, the puppies are given milk mixed with a decoction of truffles, then they are forced to smell the wooden blocks rubbed with truffles by smell, and only then they transfer the training to the open air - first to the yard, and then to the forest. No wonder a good truffle pointer costs around $5,500.
But the most exotic way to search for underground mushrooms is practiced in France. Its essence is to find a place over which a special truffle fly is circling. The fly burrows underground and lays larvae in the mushrooms, as a result, the truffles become unusable. So it is important not only to see the fly in time, but also to get ahead of the “competitor”.
Why such a cunning method appeared in France is understandable. It is in Southern France and Northern Italy that truffles grow, recognized as the best in the world - French black, or Perigord (Tuber brumale), they are also called "black diamonds". The French and Italians are desperately fighting for the honor of owning the “truffle capital of the world”. The former call such a town Grignan in Tricastan. And the Italians believe that the most-most mushroom city is Acualagna in the Marche province. There, truffles are harvested almost all year round: in autumn - white, in winter - black preciato ( late fall and winter in Southern Europe is generally considered the truffle season), in spring - March bianchetto, in summer and autumn - black summer. On the last Sunday of October, the first and second Sundays of November, the “National White Truffle Fair” is held here - the local white truffle in Italy is accepted as a reference, which is confirmed by a special law of 1985.
However, just for these mushrooms it is not at all necessary to go to distant lands. White Polish, or Trinity, truffles (Choiromyces meandrirormis) are found in Western European forests, and in the Baltic, and in central Russia, they can be found even in the Moscow region. Of course, in terms of taste, they are inferior to their Franco-Italian counterparts, but the idea of a real truffle
Answer from Ritoll[guru]
Just like small cone-shaped chocolate sweets - reminiscent of domes ... - truffles))
Answer from Marina Zhigulskaya[guru]
Truffle
Answer from !!
[newbie]
Well, of course, TRuffles!
Answer from Yovetlana Filipskaya[guru]
Of course it's a truffle! Every year in early November, the Italians hold a white truffle festival. It is at this time that the season for collecting these mushrooms. They are very fond of truffles and believe that the eaten truffle can make a woman tender and a man friendly. They are called only white diamonds, which is not surprising since these mushrooms are very expensive.
Answer from Lucy[active]
Mushrooms that grow underground are called Truffles.
Answer from User deleted[guru]
truffles
Answer from oven[guru]
Truffles... grow in france... looking for sivny... very expensive
Answer from Yovetlana Spiridonova[guru]
Truffles. Mushrooms are still small, and milk mushrooms need to be looked for under fallen leaves, they are not always immediately visible.
Answer from Al. Krassavskiy[guru]
Dungeons.
Answer from Irina[guru]
The mushroom is called truffle. grows underground. therefore, earlier it was searched for by specially trained pigs. but because they themselves loved to feast on this delicacy, dogs began to be attracted to this business.
Answer from Ileonora Polyakova[guru]
Truffles (truffles)
Answer from Olvira Pishchugina[guru]
Truffle
Answer from Esther[guru]
truffles are secretive mushrooms that grow underground
Answer from Maria[guru]
Truffle (German Trüffel; lat. Tuber) is a genus of marsupial mushrooms with underground tuberous fleshy fruiting bodies from the order of truffles (Tuberales). They grow in forests as saprophytes or form mycorrhiza with tree roots. Some fruiting bodies in the cut in the drawing resemble marble. Few truffles are edible. The most valuable is French black, or Perigord, or winter truffle (Tuber brumale), very fragrant, black on the outside, warty, inside dark gray or reddish black with light veins. In Russia, one species is the summer truffle (Tuber aestivum).
The winter truffle is a delicacy. It grows in oak and beech groves, mainly in southern France and northern Italy, where it is of great industrial importance. It has a taste of mushroom with a hint of deep-roasted seeds or walnuts. Water, if you lower it and hold the truffle, acquires a taste soy sauce. Truffles, unlike champignons, have not been cultivated. Truffles are searched in wild groves with the help of specially trained search dogs and pigs, which have a phenomenally fine sense of smell. On your own, under the foliage, you can find a truffle by noticing midges swarming over it. The number of harvested truffles is declining year by year
truffles
Truffle (Tuber) is a marsupial-type mushroom that forms underground tuberous and fleshy fruiting bodies. This is the most expensive and valuable mushroom delicacy.
Despite the fact that the fruiting bodies of the marsupial variety do not look very attractive, the finished mushroom dishes have an excellent taste and expressively smell incredibly pleasant. Dishes based on such a product are highly valued not only in the restaurants of our country, but also among foreign consumers.
What do truffles look like
The fruiting body grows underground, has a round or tuberous shape, and also has a fleshy or cartilaginous structure. Apothecia in an adult truffle, as a rule, are closed, and can vary in size from the diameter of a hazelnut to the diameter of a fairly large potato tuber. Outer side fruiting bodies is represented by a leathery layer called peridium. The surface of the peridium is smooth, cracked, or covered with polyhedral warts. On the cut, a marble pattern is represented by alternating light veins or “internal veins” and dark veins or “external veins”.
Truffle - the most expensive and valuable mushroom delicacy
Where truffles grow in Russia, Ukraine and Belarus
Valuable fruiting bodies are sought in deciduous forests, where they are able to form mycorrhiza with woody roots. For example, black truffle smells very expressive and most often grows next to oaks, beeches, hornbeam and hazel, while white truffle has a milder aroma and creates mycorrhiza with birches, poplars, elms, lindens, mountain ash and hawthorn. Ideal places for growth it is considered to be Portugal, Spain, Italy and Germany.
On the territory of our country, this valuable mushroom rarely grows in the Moscow, Vladimir, Tula, Oryol and Smolensk regions, but is quite common in Cherno sea coast Caucasus, as well as in the Middle Volga region. In Ukraine, for truffles, the optimal soil and climatic conditions are the Lviv region, the Carpathians and the Khmelnytsky region, as well as the territory of Transcarpathia. On the territory of Belarus, a unique mushroom is found in the forests of the Svisloch-Berezinsky reserve.
Gallery: truffle mushrooms (25 photos)
Where truffles grow (video)
Taste and nutritional value of truffles
The undoubted benefits of fruiting bodies, as well as their the nutritional value and excellent taste determined by the chemical composition:
- proteins - 3.0 g;
- fat - 0.5 g;
- carbohydrates - 2.0 g;
- dietary fiber - 1.0 g;
- water - 90.0 g;
- ash - 1.0 g;
- vitamin "B1" or thiamine - 0.02 mg;
- vitamin "B2" or riboflavin - 0.4 mg;
- vitamin "C" or ascorbic acid - 6.0 mg;
- vitamin "PP" - 9.5 mg;
- niacin - 9.0 mg;
- monosaccharides and disaccharides - 1.0 g.
Medium energy value varies depending on the species, but most often it is 22-24 kcal.
About the benefits of truffle mushrooms
The benefits of truffles are undeniable. Fruiting bodies are a source of vitamins, which are especially important at the stage of active, rapid growth processes. Among other things, this product is an excellent antioxidant that helps rejuvenate the body. The ability of marsupial fungus to manifest itself as a very strong and effective aphrodisiac is also well known. Cosmetics based on this fungus make wrinkles less noticeable, get rid of age spots and tighten the skin. Truffle also helps to get rid of chronic fatigue and loss of strength.
Types of truffle mushrooms
Several types of truffles are well known, which differ not only in their appearance, but also in taste and nutritional value.
T.aestivum - forms an underground modified apothecium, which has a tuberous or rounded shape with a brownish-black or bluish-black surface, on which black pyramidal warts are located. The flesh, depending on the stage of development, can be very firm or looser, whitish or brownish-grayish-yellow with light veins that form a marbled pattern. Taste qualities high. The pulp has a nutty and sweet taste, as well as a very pleasant and pronounced aroma with slightly grassy notes. Spores are yellow-brown, fusiform or oval in shape, of a very characteristic reticulate type. Fruits in summer or in the first decade of autumn.
T.brumale - forms irregular spherical or almost round fruiting bodies with peridium covered with polygonal or thyroid warts, sometimes of a deep type. The outer part is red-violet or black. The color of the pulp changes from white to grayish or grayish-violet with big amount white and yellowish-brown marble veins. Spores are ellipsoidal or oval in shape, different in size, brown in color, with curved superficial spines. It bears fruit from November to the last decade of spring.
Truffle Italian or Piedmontese
T. magnatum - forms an underground type of modified apothecia, represented by uneven and tuberous bodies with an uneven surface, covered with a thin and velvety, light ocher or slightly brownish skin that does not separate from the pulp. The internal structure is dense, whitish or yellowish-gray in color, sometimes with a reddish tint. The flesh is characterized by the presence of a white and creamy brown marble pattern, with a pleasant and spicy aroma reminiscent of garlic cheese. Spores are yellowish-brown, oval in shape, with a reticulate pattern. Collection of fruiting bodies is carried out from the last ten days of September to the end of January.
Perigord truffle or black truffle
T. melanosporum - forms modified underground tuberous apothecia, round or irregular in shape, with a reddish-brown or jet-black surface that changes color to orange during pressure. The peel is covered with numerous small multifaceted irregularities. The structure is hard, light gray or pinkish brown in color with a whitish or reddish-pink marbled pattern in section. The pulp has a very strong and characteristic aroma, as well as a pleasant taste with bitterness. Spores are dark brown, fusiform or oval in shape, with a curve. The collection is carried out from November to March.
Truffles are sometimes referred to as other varieties that have similar fruiting bodies. Most often they belong to the genus Choiromyces, Elarhomyces and Terfezia:
- Terfetia lion-yellow- a North African variety that has a rounded and uneven shape, as well as a brownish or whitish-yellow surface coloration. The pulp is light in color, mealy type, moist, with pronounced whitish streaks and brown spots;
- Elafomyces granulosa- characterized by the presence of an outer crust, on top of which numerous small warts are densely located. Fruiting bodies with an ocher-brown or yellowish-ocher surface covering white or grayish flesh.
On the territory of our country, the Caucasian variety of Terfezia transcausasis, well known under the name of tombalan, grows. A variety of marsupial mushrooms, quite widespread in the territory of Azerbaijan and the Absheron Peninsula, as well as in Nagorno-Karabakh and Central Asia.
Useful properties of truffle mushrooms (video)
How and when to look for truffles
The collection of fully mature fruiting bodies is carried out, as a rule, in the last summer decade or at the beginning of the autumn period. Most often, mushrooms of this species grow in glades well-lit by sunlight, along the edge of an oak grove, near birch groves, and can also be found in aspen and alder plantations. To determine the location of mushrooms, pigs and dogs are specially trained, which have the best sense of smell, which helps to find mushrooms due to their very peculiar and rather strong aroma.
Truffle places can be quite easily identified by the presence of grayish-ash coloring of the soil, as well as the appearance of withered or stunted mosses and herbage. As a rule, fruit bodies are represented by several specimens at once in one place, some of which can sometimes protrude above ground level. It is best to collect fruiting bodies in the evening hours. In many countries, specially trained domestic or farm animals are used to search for mushrooms.
Features of growing truffles at home
Difficulties in growing, seasonality of obtaining fruiting bodies, as well as high taste and aromatic qualities explain the high cost of such a product. Despite the fact that it is customary to grow truffle plantations in large quantities in many foreign countries, you can also get quite decent yields at home. To properly grow valuable bodies, You need to adhere to the following recommendations and phased technology:
- acquisition on a substrate or a special substrate;
- harvesting fallen oak, walnut, beech branches and foliage, as well as moss;
- the acquisition of peat nutrient substrate for the cultivation of indoor plants;
- selection of a tree and digging several holes around it up to a quarter of a meter deep and up to 10 cm in diameter;
- filling each dug hole by ½ with prepared nutrient peat substrate;
- laying mushroom mycelium and powdering it with a nutritious peat substrate, followed by dense tamping;
- abundant watering of the mushroom planting with rain or melt water;
- laying the prepared mixture based on foliage, moss and branches, followed by watering.
The timing of the appearance of the first harvest directly depends on soil and weather conditions, as well as quality characteristics. planting material. As a rule, the first fruiting occurs after three to four years.
You can also get quite a decent yield of truffles at home.
How to cook truffle mushrooms
A valuable delicacy forest product must be properly prepared. A very tasty and original combination can be obtained from mushrooms with pasta, rice and eggs. One of the most popular dishes served in famous establishments is Champagne Truffles, for the preparation of which you will need:
- prepare a fatty broth from a liter of water and 500 g of pork, which should be cooked for about an hour and a half;
- cut four fruiting bodies into thin slices and put in a saucepan, adding about 100 g of pork fat and a small amount of meat broth;
- after boiling, add 2/3 cup of champagne.
The resulting composition is cooked on a very slow fire for half an hour, after which the dish is decorated and served on the table.
A very original and exquisite dish is Pasta with Anchovies and Truffle. For cooking, you need to finely chop one truffle and five anchovies, then grind four garlic cloves with a press. Well warmed up in a shallow frying pan olive oil you need to lay out the chopped mushrooms with anchovies, then add all the chopped garlic, a little black pepper and a small amount of red pepper. Salt is added to taste. The mixture fried for a couple of minutes is added to the pre-boiled until fully prepared pasta. The finished dish must be seasoned with grated parmesan before serving.
How to cook truffle mushrooms (video)
How to properly store fresh truffles
The average shelf life of freshly harvested truffle fruiting bodies, regardless of species, is not too long. To feel the unique and very refined mushroom aroma, it is necessary to prepare the dish for several hours, as early as possible, preferably immediately after harvesting the fruiting bodies.
There are several ways to extend the shelf life. The storage of collected fruiting bodies in rice has proven itself best, and storage of the most valuable mushrooms in oil allows you to give it a simply unique and very mild aroma. For the purpose of the longest possible storage, it is desirable to freeze freshly harvested truffle fruiting bodies.
Gallery: truffle mushrooms (40 photos)
Mushrooms are a special type of plant organisms that combine some features of both plants and animals. Mushrooms are deprived of chlorophyll, are not able to independently absorb carbon dioxide from the air and therefore feed on ready-made organic compounds.
The biological and ecological diversity of fungi is very high. This is one of the largest and most diverse groups of living organisms, which has become an integral part of all aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. In accordance with modern estimates, on Earth there are from 100 to 250 thousand, and according to some estimates up to 1.5 million species of fungi.
The world of forest mushrooms is exceptionally rich and diverse. There is a great variety of various shapes and colors. Among forest mushrooms there are those that look like outlandish flowers, bushes, bowls, and even a piece of dark red liver. Some have an unusually bizarre shape.
A fairly common mushroom in Australia. It has an unpleasant smell, somewhat reminiscent of rotten meat. With this smell, the mushroom attracts flies, which are distributors of spores of this type of fungus.
Calocera sticky (Calocera viscosa):
By appearance of this fungus, you might think that its habitat is the seabed. The fruit body is elongated, vertical, egg-colored with shades of ocher, sometimes slightly reddening. The sticky calocera reaches 5-6 cm in length and up to 1 cm in diameter. The fruiting bodies of the colony readily coalesce at the base and continue to grow in a small "bush". The fungus grows in large colonies, rarely singly, on the remains of rotten wood.
From the point of view of edibility, there are different opinions about sticky calocera, some sources consider it edible, but are silent about its possible processing, others do not mention it at all in the lists of edible mushrooms. However, the calocera did not get to the poisonous ones either. It is believed that due to its small size and rarity, the mushroom never got its place in the culinary series, and is considered inedible.
Clavaria pale brown (Clavaria zollingeri):
Widespread type of fungus. It has a tubular purple or pinkish-purple body that grows up to 10 cm high and 7 cm wide. Scientists have determined that there are about 1,200 species of clavaria that come in different shades, ranging from white to bright orange and purple. These mushrooms grow in many places, mostly in tropical areas, and are considered inedible.
Clavaria grows singly or in groups, mainly in coniferous forests with oak, from late June to September, in moss, sometimes in open places. Fruiting bodies are formed in August-October. Clavaria is known in Australia, New Zealand, North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Listed rare species in Denmark, in the Red Book of the Chelyabinsk region.
Coral mushroom (Clavulinopsis corallinorosacea):
Azure Mushroom (Entoloma hochstetteri):
It lives in the forests of New Zealand and India. These blue mushrooms may be poisonous, but their toxicity is poorly understood. It gets its distinctive blue color from the pigment azulin, found in the fruiting body, which is also found in some marine invertebrates.
Starfish four-bladed (Geastrum quadrifidum):
Refers to puffball mushrooms that can be found in various places and elevations around the world. This unusual mushroom changes its appearance after it emerges from the ground. Its "rays" bend down, the round fruiting body rises and releases spores into the air. Grows mostly on sandy soil in deciduous, mixed and coniferous-pine, spruce, pine-spruce and spruce-broad-leaved forests (among fallen needles). Considered inedible due to its bitter taste.
In some Indian tribes, this mushroom is known for its medicinal properties, and according to belief, it predicts upcoming celestial phenomena.
Elastic blade (Helvella elastica):
Grows in moist, sparse, mostly deciduous forests, from July to late September, singly or in groups. The hat is two-lobed, saddle-shaped, light yellowish or grayish-brown, whitish or pink below, 1.5-4 cm wide and high. Leg up to 7 cm long, 0.2-0.4 cm thick, cylindrical, widened downwards, with small and shallow longitudinal grooves, whitish or brownish, smooth.
The elastic blade is conditionally edible. Used dried. In boiled form, it can be used only after boiling and removing the broth.
Bearded Mushroom (Hericium erinaceus):
This mushroom, which looks like noodles or pompon, is known by many names: lion's mane mushroom, bearded tooth mushroom, hedgehog mushroom, etc. At first glance, it does not cause any associations with a mushroom. This edible mushroom grows on both living and dead trees, and when cooked, resembles seafood in color and texture.
Not only does it taste good, but it is also used in traditional Chinese medicine for its antioxidant properties and lowering blood glucose levels.
Bleeding Mushroom (Hydnellum peckii):
A rather original mushroom that can be found on sandy soils in a coniferous forest. The surface of young fruiting bodies is velvety, white, with small tubercles, turning brown with age. On the upper surface of young specimens, drops of a blood-red liquid protrude. It grows in autumn on the ground in coniferous (spruce and pine) forests. Inedible due to strong bitter taste.
It can be called differently, but whatever name it is, it will certainly be associated with blood or juice. It can be found in North America, it is most common in the Pacific Northwest and grows mainly in coniferous forests.
Milky blue (Lactarius indigo):
A fairly common mushroom species that grows in eastern North America, East Asia and Central America. It grows on the ground in both deciduous and coniferous forests. The cap of the mushroom has a diameter of 5 to 15 cm, a denim-blue color, a shape that changes over time from convex to funnel-shaped. In young mushrooms, the surface layer is sticky. The leg, having a height of 2 to 6 cm and a thickness of 1 to 2.5 cm, is cylindrical, thick, denim-blue in color, a silver-gray tint may be present.
There is milky juice of denim-blue color, changing to green, caustic character. The mushroom is edible and sold in rural markets in Mexico, Guatemala and China.
Mitinus canine (Mutinus caninus):
Mitinus canine, whose Latin name sounds like Mutinus caninus, comes from the Roman phallic deity Mutinus Mutunus, which means "like a dog." Interestingly, the dark top of the mitinus attracts insects and has a smell reminiscent of cat excrement.
It mainly grows large groups on wooden dust or in a deciduous heap, it can be found in summer and autumn in Europe and eastern North America. This type of mushroom is considered inedible.
Bird's Nest (Nidulariaceae):
The bird's nest is a fungus belonging to the mold group. The mushroom owes its name to its unusual appearance, resembling a bird's nest with tiny testicles. This form contributes to the favorable spread of spores: under the pressure of rainwater that has fallen into the nest, the fungus spits them out within a radius of a meter from itself, which allows it to occupy more and more new territories for reproduction.
The Bird's Nest grows mainly in New Zealand on rotting wood, small twigs of tree ferns, and sometimes on animal excrement.
Astringent panellus (Panellus stipticus):
Cap 2-4 cm in diameter, kidney-shaped, lateral, light brown, finely scaly or finely fluffy, with a hairy, slightly curved thin edge. The plates are narrow, frequent, the same color with a cap or darker. The pulp is thin, leathery, brownish. Leg 0.5-2 cm high, 0.2-0.6 cm wide, eccentric, thickened upwards, solid, of the same color as the hat, pubescent, then smooth.
It grows in large groups, growing together with the bases of the legs, on fallen trees and stumps. From April to November. European part Russia, North Caucasus, Siberia, Primorsky Territory. Inedible.
Rhodotus palmate (Rhodotus palmatus):
This fungus is the only member of the genus in the Physalacriaceae family. Not very common. It is found throughout the northern hemisphere: in the east of North America, in northern Africa, Europe and Asia. In Europe, it is included in many lists of species that are threatened with extinction. Grows on stumps and decaying wood.
The fruit body of mature mushrooms is a characteristic pink color with a mesh pattern on a dense cap. Size, shape and color vary depending on the lighting.
Trembling orange (Tremella mesenterica):
Consists of smooth, shiny and sinuous blades. In appearance, the blades are watery and shapeless, a bit reminiscent of the intestines. The fruit body is approximately 1-4 cm in height. The color of the fruit body varies from almost white to bright yellow or orange. Because of a large number spores located on the surface, the fungus appears whitish.
The pulp is gelatinous, but at the same time strong, has no smell.
Like all Tremblings, Tremella mesenterica tends to dry out, and after rain, it becomes the same again. Occurs from August to the end of autumn. Often the fungus persists in winter, forming fruiting bodies with the onset of spring. Grows on dead branches deciduous trees. If the conditions are favorable, then it bears fruit very abundantly. It grows both on the plains and on the mountains. In places with a mild climate, the entire mushroom period can bear fruit.
The mushroom is edible, although tasteless, and even has some value, but not in our country. Our mushroom pickers have no idea how to collect this mushroom, how to carry it home and how to cook it so that it does not dissolve.
The most expensive mushroom, "black diamond" - that's what they say about truffles. You don't hear that about every mushroom. Often, besides the fact that they are very expensive, we do not know anything about these mushrooms. So what is special, besides the cost, in such, at first glance, nondescript lumps? Let's learn about it from the article.
What does a truffle look like
Truffles belong to the section of marsupial mushrooms. All this is due to the fact that their spores are in the very body of the fungus.
A delicacy grows underground. For normal growth, he needs to enter into symbiosis with a tree. The mushroom picker, as it were, envelops root system tree, so it better absorbs nutrients from the soil.
The truffle does not have a pronounced leg and cap, its body is tuberous. Visually, it is somewhat similar to potatoes. In size, these delicacies range from very tiny (the size of a nut) to larger ones (the size of an orange). Weight ranges from a few grams to a kilogram (but such giants are extremely rare). 
The skin, depending on the species, can be almost black or light (white truffles). The flesh also varies in color depending on the species, but in all mushrooms in the context it resembles a marble pattern. This product can be consumed raw.
Truffles
There are more than a hundred varieties of this mushroom, but we will consider the most common ones.
Black summer
Black summer, he is also black Russian, grows in deciduous or mixed forests under the roots of oak, beech or birch. The soil prefers with lime. Distributed in Central Europe, found on the coast of the Caucasus. The season for this mushroom is summer and early autumn. 
The fruiting body of the black summer is tuberous or rounded, bluish or brown (closer to black) with black warts. The diameter reaches 10 cm.
The pulp of a young mushroom is quite dense, the older it is, the softer it is. The color of the flesh also changes with age from light to brownish. It tastes sweet with a nutty flavor. The smell is similar to the aroma of algae. Black summer is valued less than its relatives, although it is a delicacy.
Black winter
Winter truffle can be harvested from late autumn to March. It grows in Italy, Switzerland, in Western Ukraine and in the mountainous regions of Crimea.
The mushroom has a spherical shape up to 20 cm in diameter. The weight of an adult specimen can reach a kilogram or even more. 
Outside covered with numerous warts. The pulp with yellowish veins resembles a marble pattern. It is initially light, but over time it turns gray or even takes on a purple hue.
It has a strong musky smell. It is not valued as much as the rest of the "black" relatives.
Black Perigord (French)
The Perigord truffle takes its name from the historical region of Perigord in France. But it is also found in Italy (Umbria), Spain and Croatia. Harvesting season is from November to March.
The fruit body is tuberous in shape, up to 9 cm in diameter. The color of the young specimen is reddish-brown, the old one is black. The color of the pulp is gray or pinkish with time, from the appearance of spores it becomes dark brown or black, but light streaks remain. 
The aftertaste is bitter, and the smell resembles chocolate to some, and expensive alcohol to others.
This mushroom got its name from the territory in which it grows. The Himalayan truffle is a type of black winter truffle. The fruiting period is from mid-November to February.
The mushroom itself is quite small, only up to 5 cm in diameter. Its weight is no more than 50 g. 
The peel is dark with small growths. The pulp is elastic dark purple, almost black. Aroma with pronounced forest notes.
White Piedmontese (Italian)
It is most common in the Italian region of Piedmont and in the regions of France that border it. Most often grows in deciduous forests under oak, willow, poplar, occasionally under linden. The collection period is from the second decade of September to the end of January.
Tubers up to 12 cm in diameter. Weight - up to 300 g, but occasionally there are specimens up to 1 kg in weight. The surface is velvety, light orange or brown. 
The flesh is elastic, may be white or yellow-gray. The veins that form a marbled pattern are light or creamy brown.
The aroma of white truffle combines the smell of cheese and garlic.
Did you know? 50% of all truffles eaten in the world come from the French.
White Oregon (American)
This type of truffle can be found in the northwestern United States. Grows shallow in soil near coniferous trees. It is harvested from October to January.
The fruit body is up to 7 cm in diameter. The weight can reach 250 g. The peel is light brown, the flesh is golden brown with light veins. 
The aroma of this forest delicacy has herbal and floral notes.
Red
This mushroom grows throughout Europe and in the west of Russia (up to the Urals). Prefers soil near coniferous trees or oak. Fruiting from late spring to August.
Tuber diameter up to 4 cm. Weight rarely exceeds 80 g.
The color of the mushroom is red-brown. The flesh is quite dense, dirty pink or beige. 
The aroma contains notes of grass, wine and coconut.
Red brilliant is the "brother" of the red truffle. It is found in the forests of Europe and Russia, most often under oak.
The underground inhabitants themselves are very small - they do not exceed 4 cm in diameter. Weight - about 45 g.
The skin is beige or brown. The flesh is grayish or brown with white streaks. 
The smell of this specimen has wine-pear notes with a slight coconut fragrance.
Important! Deer truffle - the only inedible of all members of the genus.
Autumn (burgundy)
This species, like many others, got its name from the place of growth (Burgundy). Its ripening period is from June to October.
The mushroom has a rounded shape, not exceeding 8 cm in diameter. Weight reaches 300 g. 
As a type of black fungus, autumn burgundy has a dark, almost black skin. The flesh is light brown with light veins.
Autumn truffle has the smell of hazelnuts and chocolate, for which it is appreciated by gourmets.
Chinese (Asian)
This type of truffle grows in southwestern China. Prefers cohabitation with oak, chestnut and pine. Its growth period is from December to February.
Tuber diameter up to 10 cm. Weight can reach up to 500 g. The peel is dark, dense. The flesh is elastic, dark in color with gray streaks. 
The aroma is pronounced only in a mature mushroom. There are cases when a truffle is artificially flavored to pass it off as Perigord.
Where and how does it grow
Truffles are earth dwellers. They grow underground at the roots of trees. Each species prefers a certain area and trees.
The geography of growth of these mushrooms is quite diverse. They can be found throughout Europe, in the warm corners of Russia, in northern Africa and in the west of North America.
Most prefer broad-leaved trees - oak, birch, beech, poplar, elm, linden. Some grow under cedar or pine.
The underground dweller loves a warm, mild climate, so in our latitudes it can be found in the forests of Western Ukraine, in the Crimea, in Russian forests up to the Urals and in the Caucasus, as well as in Belovezhskaya Pushcha and the Gomel region of Belarus.
How to search
The delicacy grows underground and is not easy to find. But there are some signs that a truffle lurked underground: 
- the vegetation above the fungus is more sparse;
- the earth takes on a gray tint;
- red flies use the fruiting body to feed the larvae, so they swarm around "appetizing" places.
Important! In Europe, you need a license to "hunt" truffles..
Chemical composition
truffle is dietary product- per 100 g there are only 24 kcal (3 g - proteins, 0.5 g - fats, 2 g - carbohydrates).
These delicacy products contain vitamins C (6 mg), B1 (0.02 mg), B2 (0.4 mg), PP (9.49 mg). It also contains the following elements:
- potassium;
- calcium;
- iron;
- sodium;
- copper.
Benefit and harm
The vitamins and minerals contained in these mushrooms have a positive effect on human health:
- have an antioxidant effect;
- help accelerate the recovery of the skin in case of cuts or diseases;
- prevent the development of malignant tumors in the large intestine;
- help maintain skin tone, reduce the appearance of wrinkles;
- favorably affect the microflora in the intestine.
These mushrooms cannot cause any harm to the human body, and the only contraindication to their use is individual intolerance to this product. Women should refrain from eating truffles during pregnancy and lactation, as well as preschool children.
How is it used in cooking
These mushrooms differ from other relatives in their special taste and aroma. The smell of these mushrooms may have nutty or herbal notes.
Truffle is used as an additive to sauces or as an aromatic spice, but most often this product is served raw, grated and added to the main dish. It is by coming into contact with other products that the aroma of truffles is revealed in full. 
The taste of this mushroom is similar to roasted nuts or seeds. It is inseparable from the aroma, gourmets sometimes say that they "eat the smell".
Why are truffles so expensive
The high cost of truffles is due to the fact that they are "extracted" very little. This mushroom does not grow in every forest and not even in every region. In addition, it is not so easy to find it, because it does not come to the surface. And the fact that it is a seasonal product completes its uniqueness.
Add to this a pleasant taste and breathtaking aroma - and here we get a rare expensive delicacy.
Did you know? The largest white truffle that was harvested weighed 1 kg 890 g.
By the way, the cost of a white truffle can reach 4,000 euros/kg. The larger it is, the more expensive. A black relative will cost from 1,500 to 2,500 dollars per kilogram.
It is believed that once you try this outlandish mushroom, its taste and aroma will forever remain in your memory. In addition to taste, this product is also very useful for the body. Gourmets advise: if you have the opportunity to taste this delicacy, do not miss it.
A resident of the Novosibirsk town of Krasnoobsk imagined all weekend how he would raise the Siberian economy to the skies and make Novosibirsk the world leader in the supply of ingredients to the best restaurants in Europe. Thoughts like this popped into my head after Dmitry Dubrovin in his native village he found (or rather, even dug) something similar to an expensive delicacy - truffles. Those same mushrooms that grow in southern France and Switzerland, a kilo of these costs as much as an ordinary driver Dubrovin earns in three months.
They smell like “Amaretto,” Dmitry described the find. Well, it's definitely truffles.
The driver sent the photographs of the find to Komsomolskaya Pravda, and we showed them to the scientists. They promised to study and answer the main question: will Dmitry's dreams come true? Mycologist's answer Vyacheslav Vlasenko was short:
The mushroom in the photo, unfortunately, has nothing to do with truffles. This is Broom's Melanogaster (Melanogaster broomeanus). I don't remember eating it...
The ellipsis at the end, as it were, hinted that the mycologist himself was offended for Siberia. But maybe he was wrong after all? We sent the pictures to another expert - a mycologist Dmitry Ageev, who maintains the site "Mushrooms Novosibirsk region».
Judging by the photographs and the described “fragrant” smell, a resident of Krasnoobsk found Melanogaster Bruma, - Ageev agrees with his colleague. - It's unusual rare mushroom, listed in the Red Book of the Novosibirsk Region. In mid-summer, it can sometimes be found in the top layer of soil under birch trees. It and another subterranean fungus, the deer truffle (genus Elaphomyces), are indeed often referred to as false truffles. They are sometimes found in our forests. Real truffles - mushrooms of the genus Tuber - with a general external similarity are not at all related to false truffles, and they have not yet been found in Siberia. The most valuable types of truffles - white and black - prefer a milder climate and grow in the oak forests of Europe.
It is interesting that although Melanogaster looks like a European delicacy, in fact it is not even a brother of a real truffle.
The closest relatives of Melanogaster, who are in the same family with them, are pigs well-known to mushroom pickers (they are also cowsheds), says Ageev. - Taking this opportunity, I would like to remind you that it has been proven that all pigs are poisonous, their use in some people causes a deadly destruction of red blood cells and liver damage. Therefore, trying Melanogaster, despite the pleasant smell, is not worth it - it is better to inform mycologists about the red book find.
It's definitely not a black truffle! - another scientist finally cut down the business plan of the Siberian driver. - Four types of Melanogaster grow in Russia, these mushrooms enter into symbiosis with hardwoods, such as oak or beech, - describes Yuri Rebriev, Candidate of Biological Sciences of the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, who specializes in Gasteromycetes (this group of fungi includes the false truffle Melanogaster Bruma). - On the cut, they really have a marble pattern - a black spore mass with whitish streaks of sterile tissue. At a young age, they can smell pleasant, but with aging, the smell becomes sharp and unpleasant. Since Melanogaster form fruiting bodies underground, it is quite difficult to find them. Their finds are infrequent. But this does not mean that the species is rare - perhaps it just hides well! I can’t say anything about the culinary features, as a rule I found several pieces, and, of course, everything went to the herbarium. But I didn’t feel a special aroma, I didn’t salivate.
SPECIFICALLY
How to distinguish a real truffle from a false one?
To the layman, an edible truffle and Melanogaster seem similar, like twin brothers. So how exactly are they different? - we asked the mycologist Dmitry Ageev.
There are quite a few mushrooms with an underground lifestyle. And people, having dug up any mushroom with a closed structure, begin to take it for a truffle, - the expert explains. - If we talk in the context of Melanogaster, then the truffle is an ascomycete, Melanogaster is a basidiomycete. These are very large taxonomic groups that differ in the way spores are formed, which is clearly visible under a microscope.
But even without a microscope, you can see the difference by eye.
Both Melanogaster and truffles show a structure in the form of a marble pattern on the cut - the same adaptation to fruiting underground. In truffles, this pattern is larger, and the flesh itself and the veins are lighter than in Melanogaster, says the mycologist. - The pulp of real truffles has a waxy consistency, while Melanogaster's pulp is like a dense black jelly, penetrated by cartilaginous walls. In addition, the surface of some truffles, such as black ones, is not smooth, but cracked, covered with black scales. Although, outwardly, if you don’t touch them, don’t smell them, don’t compare them with each other, they really look alike, in the eyes of an unprepared mushroom picker.
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