Where real expensive truffles grow in Russia - the places where black and white grow. Truffle - a delicacy mushroom: features and types Winter truffle

Truffles are known worldwide for their high price and rarity. Truffle is a marsupial mushroom, the body of which is underground and has the shape of a tuber. They are considered a delicacy and belong to the Pezizales species. At the same time, many other mushrooms are often called truffles, which are similar in shape to the body growing underground. Among these truffle mushrooms, there are also edible ones, but their price is much lower than the type that is called "real truffle".

The consistency of blue truffles includes small cartilages. They range in size from a hazelnut to a large potato. At the same time, the outer part has a dense leathery protective layer, it can be both smooth and have cracks or small growths on it. The section shows that the fungus resembles a marble pattern, it contains light and dark veins.

Their place of growth depends on a particular species: for example, black and summer views prefer to grow next to oaks, hazel or beech. At the same time, the Limansky species grows next to mountain ash, poplar or birch. There are a huge number of types, each of which has its own special taste and texture.

If you are a gourmet, pay attention to delicacies such as and - they are also very useful.

Truffles have been harvested in Italy and France since the 15th century. For this, specially trained pigs or dogs are used: their surprisingly delicate scent allows you to smell these amazing mushrooms even underground at great distances. In some areas of France, specialists also use flies to search: some of the insects prefer to settle directly next to truffles, and lay their eggs in the soil. This means that with sufficient observation, these midges can be seen, and there will be a truffle underground.

Despite widespread misconception, truffles can be grown under artificial conditions. The first successful attempt to do this is documented in the early 19th century, when people noticed that truffles only grow next to certain types oaks. One Frenchman used 7 hectares of his land, planted them with oaks, next to which truffles were often found, and after some time received a rather extensive harvest of these mushrooms.

It was this example that became significant, and by the end of the 19th century, truffles began to be widely grown under artificial conditions in France. At that time, the grove of these special oaks occupied more than 750 square kilometers, of which up to 1000 tons of crops were regularly harvested.

However, already in the twentieth century, many of these groves were forgotten or abandoned, which was associated with a sharp decline Agriculture. Such groves require close attention: truffle oaks can produce crops for 30 years, after which it is necessary to plant new ones, as the yield drops sharply.

This is the reason for the current sharp drop in the number of truffles in the world: in particular, French farmers are against growing new plantations, as they are afraid that this will lead to an inevitable drop in prices for this rare mushroom. This makes truffles a truly rare delicacy as the harvest drops every year. At the same time, they are actively grown in America, Britain, Spain and Sweden.

By the beginning of the 21st century, China had become the largest supplier in the world. These mushrooms, which are grown under artificial conditions, are cheaper than the original, but somewhat inferior in taste. Nevertheless, these truffles are also popular: in 2005 alone, more than 70 tons of mushrooms were sold from China, of which 40 went to France. Despite the fact that French gourmets vehemently argue that Chinese truffles are completely different from their French counterpart, their popularity does not fall. The Chinese refute this opinion, pointing out that the taste and appearance of Chinese truffles are very similar to French ones. In addition, the Chinese counterpart is cheaper, so the Europeans can not withstand price competition.

Harvesting

Truffles have a fairly short season in which they can be harvested: white truffles are harvested in late autumn and before the start of winter frosts, usually in October. Black truffles are harvested from November to March. Naturally, fresh tubers are most valued: in regions where they are common or where truffles can be bought, restaurants specifically announce truffle season to attract gourmets. Also, a special menu is created for connoisseurs and the best chefs in the world are invited.

The collection is very difficult, specially trained animals are used for it. It is very important to remove each mushroom carefully so as not to damage it. They are looked for by specially trained truffle pigs or dogs. Animals need to be trained for a long time so that they not only find valuable mushrooms, but also can remove them without damaging the roots of the tree and the tubers themselves. It is this practice, which has been preserved from the 18th century to this day, that gives a special charm to the collection of truffles. In addition, they cannot be found and obtained in any other way, which is another argument that explains their high price. In addition, the rarest white species cannot be grown under artificial conditions.

Beneficial features

At the same time, truffles are not only tasty, but also healthy, as they contain a large number of vitamins that are necessary for the body of any person. Also in these mushrooms are contained, which help maintain immunity. Scientists have already proven that mushrooms contain some pheromones that increase the sensuality and emotionality of a person. It is for this reason that they have long been considered a powerful aphrodisiac.

In some regions of the East, the juice obtained from these rare mushrooms is used to treat the eyes.

In Italy, well-known cosmetic companies use extracts from these mushrooms, gradually adding them to their products. It is believed that such cosmetic preparations can fight aging, help fight age spots and smooth the skin.

Basic storage rules

Another feature inherent in truffles is a very short shelf life, and in order to feel the fullness of their taste, you need to use them only fresh. That is why, as soon as the season comes and the picking of mushrooms begins, they are sold out extremely quickly, to the point that auctions are organized for mushrooms among restaurants and connoisseurs. However, these tubers can still be stored for some time: some of them are dipped in oil to then be used in sauces as an addition. Sometimes mushrooms are placed in, sometimes even frozen, although such truffles are no longer valued so highly.

Application in cooking

These unique mushrooms are used in a variety of dishes, as they can complement almost any taste. But it is best to use neutral additives that will not overshadow the special taste of mushrooms. Most often they are used for:

• sauces;
• pastes;
• rice
• seafood;
• birds.

At the same time, the dish requires a minimum amount of expensive mushrooms, as they have a very bright taste.

Recipes with truffles

Including, truffles are sometimes salted. To do this, they are washed well, then they are boiled for a short time with white wine of very high quality. Then they are placed on a sieve to allow excess moisture to drain, put in jars and poured with quality olive or sunflower oil.

Another original way cooking truffles is a use. To do this, they are cooked for a short time in the broth, then pour a glass of champagne and boil for about half an hour. Such mushrooms have a special taste, very enhanced by the taste of champagne, so very high quality alcohol is used for them.

For true gourmets, pure truffles are prepared and served with various kinds of sauces. Creamy or wine sauce works best for them. At the same time, truffles themselves are most often used for making sauces, since few people eat them in their pure form. For example, they make a sauce by adding wine and broth. This sauce is suitable for white meats, poultry and quality pâtés. Truffles are especially valued when added to seafood. The French often pair them with eggs.

At the same time, mushrooms are excellently combined with various kinds of fruits, so they are sometimes added to various types of pies. True gourmets will also appreciate truffle sauce served with or caviar.

Contraindications and rules for choosing truffles

The use of truffles is contraindicated only for those who have an individual intolerance to these mushrooms. In addition, these mushrooms should not be, or at least undesirable, for those who have pronounced digestive tract problems. It may well be that the stomach simply can not cope with these mushrooms. In addition, you should only buy mushrooms from places you trust, including large restaurants. In mid-range establishments, it is very common to offer fake truffles rather than real truffles, which can result in serious poisoning.

Also, special attention should be paid to the quality of mushrooms, because occasionally they are grown in conditions where the soil can accumulate toxins or other harmful substances. Considering that mushrooms very easily absorb all substances, this can have a very bad effect on the health of a gourmet.

As much as you love truffles, remember that they are quite expensive, and too low price from an unverified supplier should alert you.

Not all related species can be eaten, but all true truffles are edible. They have a bright mushroom taste with a specific truffle flavor, which depends on the type: it can be the taste of sunflower seeds or. At the same time, each species has its own pronounced aroma. If you dip the truffle into water, it will show the characteristic taste of soy sauce.

Gourmets appreciate the winter, Piedmontese and Perigord views the most. They grow in France and Italy, as well as in Switzerland, from where they are mainly supplied. In Russia, of real truffles, only the summer type is found.

white truffle in shape and size, it most resembles potato tubers, and its flesh has a characteristic light color. It is widely distributed in Russia, Belarus and Ukraine. There are also individual steppe species that thrive in Africa and Asia.

Particular attention should be paid to what exactly is eaten as truffles. Sometimes referred to as delicacies inedible mushrooms, which outwardly are very similar to truffles, as they look like tubers. They have a characteristic unpleasant odor and should not be eaten.

Nevertheless, there are more than a hundred species of these delicious mushrooms, but the most expensive and rare are the black species that grow in France, as well as the white ones, common in Italy. Wherein white look is the rarest and most valued. It has a brown skin, light flesh with red marbled veins. Their aroma is considered the best among all species.

The price of truffles varies depending on their harvest, which varies greatly from one year to the next. In general, their high price is associated with the difficulties of growing, harvesting and high storage requirements.

What is a truffle, calories and chemical composition. Useful properties of a delicacy and harm from use. mushroom recipes and Interesting Facts about a gourmet product.

The content of the article:

Truffle is a valuable mushroom from the genus Marsupials, the species Petsitsev. The delicacy is so prized that it was once sold for its weight in gold. Real truffles are fruiting bodies from the genus Tuber, and they are called "real". Unscrupulous sellers can sell analogues that are similar in appearance - from the genera Elaphomyces, Choiromyces and Terfezia. Fake delicacies are not poisonous, but have no value. Outwardly, truffles resemble fleshy tubers. Color can be black, white or yellow. The skin-shell is thin, and the tender flesh in the cut resembles marble with many veins. Mushroom sizes range from a small pea to a medium-sized grapefruit. The varieties grown in Italy and France are the most valued - black and white truffles. In Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, there is a summer truffle that is not appreciated. Gourmets believe that artificially grown mushrooms are not as tasty as those grown in wild nature. Although this may be a prejudice.

Composition and calorie content of truffle

The truffle calorie content per 100 g is only 22-24 kcal, of which:

• Proteins - 3 g;
• Fats - 0.5 g;
• Carbohydrates - 2 g;
• Dietary fiber - 1 g;
• Ash - 1 g;
• Water - 90 g.

• Vitamin PP (Niacin equivalent) - 9.498 mg;
• Vitamin C ( ascorbic acid) - 6 mg;
• Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) - 0.4 mg;
• Vitamin B1 (thiamine) - 0.02 mg;
• Vitamin B3 (PP) - 9 mg.

The amount of mineral acids and amino acids is insignificant, in thousandths of a milligram.

The benefits of truffles are provided by:

1. Niacin equivalent, without which organic metabolic processes are impossible - protein and oxidative. Vitamin functions: regulation of blood cholesterol levels, reducing the risk of diseases of the cardiovascular system, eliminating vascular spasms, lowering blood sugar levels.
2. Ascorbic acid prevents oncological diseases of the large intestine, helps to fully absorb calcium and iron from food, increases the general and local immunity of the body.
3. Vitamin B3 stimulates the production of testosterone and estrogen, normalizes work endocrine system and adrenal glands, has an antioxidant effect.

Useful properties of truffle

Additional beneficial features truffles:

• Increases immune status;
• Stops the development of degenerative-dystrophic diseases of the musculoskeletal system and prevents inflammatory processes, arthritis of all types;
• Eliminates nervous disorders, has a sedative and calming effect;
• Improves visual function;
• Has an antioxidant effect;
• Stimulates the regeneration of organic tissues at the cellular level, accelerates the restoration of the skin in dermatological diseases;
• Prevents malignancy of neoplasms;
• Improves the condition of patients with Alzheimer's disease;
• Increases the tone of blood vessels and muscle fibers located in the dermis, rejuvenates and prevents vascular sclerosis;
• On final stages diabetes relieves the patient's condition, softens the manifestation of symptoms that cause discomfort - reduces dry mouth and skin flaking, the number of pigmented areas.

Harm and contraindications to the use of truffles

But truffles, like all mushrooms, accumulate toxins and heavy metals that saturate the air and soil. Therefore, mushrooms that were collected in ecologically disadvantaged areas should not be used as food.

When collecting truffles, you should choose protected areas where the human foot has not set foot in the literal sense. Also, you should not order dishes from them in cheap restaurants - they can hardly offer real expensive mushrooms there. If you do not follow the recommendations, after enjoying the taste, you can end up in a hospital bed.

Truffle Recipes

Recipes with truffles:

1. Paste. To get a rich mushroom taste, just add 1 valuable mushroom to the dish. Soak 30 g of white dried mushrooms in water so that it covers the fruiting bodies completely. Then the water is carefully decanted - it will be needed later, and the mushrooms are cut into slices and fried in olive oil for 10 minutes, while frying, 2 minutes before the end of the process, add 2-3 cloves of garlic and shallots. Pour mushroom water into the pan, boil until the amount of liquid has evaporated by half. Ready pasta 1 kg: cook according to the instructions, adding 3 minutes before the end of cooking cream - 70-80 g. Pasta is poured with 1 tablespoon of truffle oil, mixed with fried mushrooms, grated parmesan, salt and herbs to taste. Bake the peeled truffle in a hot oven for 2 minutes, grate and add to the dish. If the truffle is white, then it is rubbed raw.
2. Poulards with truffles. Poulard - this is how French chefs call large broilers. First they do the poulard: they wash it cleanly, make an incision along the spine and remove all the bones except for the shins and wings. Then rub it with flour. Ordinary chicken is cut, offal is removed. Everything is stewed separately: giblets separately, white meat separately and dark meat separately. The meat is mixed with cream - we take a glass of them. Peel pistachios - 50 g, finely rub 1 large truffle. Pour pistachios with truffles into the offal, mix until completely homogeneous. Carefully, so as not to shake off the flour, the poulard is laid out on a napkin, and the filling is laid out in layers inside: dark minced meat, white, giblets with mushrooms and nuts, again white meat and dark. The poulard is sewn up and wrapped in an ordinary clean canvas napkin soaked in oil. Separately, steep chicken broth is boiled from the bones of both birds. When it is boiled, a napkin with a poulard is lowered into it and boiled until the napkin puffs up with a bubble. Before serving, the threads are removed and cut into portions. As a side dish, mashed potatoes or pumpkin, basmati rice are suitable.
3. . An ordinary omelet is transformed into a gourmet dish thanks to pieces of black truffle. 10 g of mushroom pulp is enough to make an omelette of 3 eggs a gourmet delicacy. Beat the eggs, adding 1 teaspoon of sour cream, adding a little salt. If it is impossible to imagine a dish without pepper, white pepper is used. Pour finely chopped mushroom pulp and let it brew for 5 minutes. Pour the egg mass into a hot frying pan, greased with butter, fry on both sides. The surface should remain slightly damp - no need to overcook. Sprinkle with herbs before serving. To make the dish more satisfying, when kneading the egg mixture, add a tablespoon of flour.
4. Truffle pie. The preparation is long, but the taste is worth it. 800 g of pork, a mixture of loin and neck, cut into small cubes and marinated in a mixture of cognac and white wine - 20 and 150 g - with various spices, pepper mixture, cloves, basil and coriander. Spices are chosen according to taste. The meat is marinated for 10-12 hours. Using a blender, prepare the dough: 2 eggs, 150 g melted butter, a glass of water, a teaspoon of vinegar, 250 g flour, salt, starch 110 g. The finished dough is wrapped in cellophane and put in the refrigerator for 4 hours. When all the ingredients are ready, the dough is taken out, part is rolled out, laid out in a baking dish. They clean the nuts - pistachios are combined to taste with truffles - 50 g, mushroom pulp cut into small pieces is added and everything is poured into the marinated meat, stirring. Beat eggs - they are needed to grease the cake. The meat is laid out in the dough, covered with another layer, forming a closed pie, allowed to stand for a while so that it rises. When the dough “comes to life”, they grease it with an egg, make cuts, inserting foil funnels into them so that steam comes out, and send the cake to the oven. Bake at 190°C for an hour and a half. While the cake is baking, dilute a package of gelatin 15 g in hot water, cool down to 40°C. After the cake is cooked, gelatin is poured into the funnels, the cake is cooled to room temperature and put in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Serve cold.
5. Mushroom sauce. A pack of butter is left to melt at room temperature in a deep enameled bowl (or pan). 1 truffle approximately 20 g is chopped into pieces, greens are chopped: a tablespoon of green onions, garlic arrows, parsley and dill, half a teaspoon of basil, rosemary, tarragon. You can use dried seasonings by adding half a teaspoon of Provence herbs. Beat the greens with butter until smooth, put everything on cellophane, roll it into a sausage and send it to the freezer to freeze. Use in pieces, spreading on hot meat or fish. This additive greatly improves the taste of the dish.

The first culinary recipes were offered by Italian chefs, then the inhabitants of France, the provinces of Aquitaine and Provence took up the extraction of a valuable product.

In Rus', bears were trained to search for mushrooms. Despite the fact that their teeth were pulled out beforehand, harvesting was very dangerous for the owner of the animal - the animals refused to share. The method of collecting truffles with the help of dogs or pigs has become very popular.

Truffles are harvested at night: at this time of day, mushrooms, which lie underground at a depth of 20 cm, exude such a strong aroma that animals catch it with ease.

Experienced mushroom pickers harvest mushrooms during the day, on their own, focusing on swarms of truffle flies. Insects lay their eggs near the fruiting body, the larvae feed on truffles and mature quickly. From the swirling swarm above the ground, mushroom pickers understand that there is a mushroom plantation here.

When extracting a truffle, in no case should the fruiting body or mycelium be damaged. In the first case, the fungus will not be of any value, in the second, the mycelium dies off quickly.

The most valuable mushroom varieties are black, winter, blue and Italian. The aroma of mushrooms is described by gourmets as the smell of an autumn forest. It reveals the moisture of falling trees, notes of musk, the smell of fresh earth.

On the territory of Ukraine and Russia, Polish and white truffles are found, but it is impossible to harvest a bountiful harvest, the mycelium is not large. The white truffle looks like a potato tuber, and its taste is not pronounced enough.

Truffle breeding is expensive, it is necessary to provide a soil composition that resembles natural conditions, maintain constant humidity, provide conditions for symbiosis - mushrooms prefer oaks. First, an oak grove is planted, and when it gets stronger, mycelium is sown.

Chinese farmers successfully coped with the task: by 2005, 40 tons of valuable mushrooms were sold to French restaurants. Despite the fact that real connoisseurs of a delicate dish protest against such a replacement - the Chinese fake is not very similar in taste to the original, restaurateurs are ready to purchase mushrooms with a less pronounced taste at a lower price.

Watch the truffle video:

Truffle is a favorite mushroom of all gourmets, proudly bearing the title of the most expensive product in its category. It is valuable for three factors at once: amazing taste, beneficial properties and aphrodisiac qualities. Next, we offer a closer look at this fungus. First, we will tell and show in the photo what a truffle looks like, what are its features and what are its varieties. And then we will figure out how to pick the mushroom correctly and where it grows in Russia. But first things first.

The fruit body of the truffle has a rounded or tuberous shape and in its dimensions the advantage resembles a nut. In rare cases, the mushroom is so large that it looks like a full-fledged potato. The outer layer of the truffle can be either smooth, or cut with small cracks, or covered with multifaceted warts. In cross section, the fungus has a pronounced marble texture, which is formed by the interweaving of light "internal veins" and dark "external veins". Numerous spore bags are located on these veins.

Truffles are primarily known for their culinary properties. They are actively used in many national cuisines for the preparation of sauces, pates, fillings for all kinds of pastries, as well as as an addition to seafood or poultry. Often the mushroom is served as an independent dish.

Another feature of truffles - useful composition. Mushrooms contain:

• vitamins of groups C, B and PP;
• vegetable proteins;
• antioxidants;
• fiber;
• carbohydrates;
• minerals.

Truffle juice is useful for various kinds of eye diseases, and mushroom pulp effectively helps to relieve the pain of gout. It is known that mature mushrooms contain a small amount of anandamide, which has a calming effect on nervous system. In addition, truffles contain strong pheromones that improve the emotional background of a person.

Important! There are no serious contraindications for truffles, but their use is possible only if two conditions are met: the absence of an allergy to penicillin and the freshness of the product.

Types of truffles

There are more than a hundred varieties of truffles in the world, which are classified according to three factors: biological group, gastronomic value, geographical group. The most common among them are the following mushrooms:

Growing and harvesting truffles

The search and collection of mushrooms is very difficult, as truffles are rarely shown on the surface of the soil. And they do not grow in all countries. So, in Russia there are only some types of mushrooms:

• Black summer - grow on the Black Sea and in the Caucasus, mainly in deciduous forests. Often settle in the root system of beech or oak. You can collect them all summer season and at the very beginning of autumn.
• Black winter - most often found in the Caucasus in forest areas with calcareous soils. Ripe from January to March.
• White - grow in several regions of Russia at once: Moscow, Tula, Smolensk, Oryol. They ripen from mid-autumn to early winter, but the most suitable picking period is the second half of October.

Advice. You can recognize the area of ​​active growth of truffles by the state of the ground and vegetation: the soil in such zones is gray-ashy in color, and the vegetation is somewhat stunted. Also, mushrooms can "give out" numerous midges above the earth tubercles, under which the fruits are hidden.

Truffles are searched for with the help of trained pigs or dogs: mushrooms have a strong specific smell that animals can smell even at a great distance. A kind of "hunting" is recommended to be carried out at night.

Mushrooms should be consumed within 3-4 days after harvest. Only freezing or canning will help increase the shelf life of the product.

As you can see, the high cost of a truffle is fully justified by its advantages: unique taste, a wide maneuver for culinary experiments, and a positive effect on the human body. And no matter how difficult the processes of searching, collecting and storing a mushroom are, all these difficulties absolutely pale in comparison with the valuable properties of the product.

Finding truffles in Russia: video

in the world today. Every gourmet wants to try them. And every mushroom picker dreams of finding such a delicacy, but it's not so easy, because these mushrooms grow at a depth of 15 cm underground.

Such mushrooms are divided into black and white, although now other subspecies can be found all over the world. Whites are considered rare, they are not found as often as their black counterparts. A warm, temperate place is considered ideal for their ripening. Description of the truffle and much more interesting information you can read in this article.

Places where you can find black mushrooms in Russia

Black truffles like to be called summer in another way. They can be found off the coast of the Black Sea in the Caucasus, in the Moscow region. These mushrooms grow in more on calcareous soil. In size, they are even smaller than white ones, they also grow underground, at a depth of several tens of centimeters. You can collect black truffles from late summer to early autumn.

Is it possible to find white truffles in Russia?

Where does white truffle mushroom grow in Russia? You can meet this variety not so often, and not everywhere they can grow. In Russia, for example, the middle Volga region, as well as some parts of the central part of the country, are considered a suitable region for truffles. You can notice the mushroom from autumn until the onset of cold weather.

mushroom itself small size, about ten to fifteen centimeters, and the weight is about half a kilo.

How to find

How to find a truffle? Usually this kind of mushroom grows near the roots of trees. The preference of truffles is birch, oak, hornbeam, and also walnut. Where does the truffle mushroom grow in Russia? In our country, it is most likely to find a truffle under an oak tree. Favorite place is heavy and wet black soil. Therefore, in young forests or in places where the forest has been cut down, the probability of finding a truffle is considered minimal.

In fact, it is impossible to find them even for those people who do not have special training and do not know what truffles are. Therefore, if you have a desire to independently search for mushrooms, it is best to prepare well and find out as much information about them as possible.

To make your search easier:

• First, it's a photograph. This is necessary so that a person understands what exactly he is looking for.
• Secondly, a specially trained animal. Most often, a pig or a dog is taught to search for a truffle.

Find out in which forest the above-mentioned trees can most often be found. In order to simplify your search, you should use specially trained animals, which, thanks to their wonderful sense of smell, can easily smell the necessary smell. Be sure to take a picture of the mushroom with you. Its surface has some roughness, it feels quite hard.

It happens that when the mushroom matures, it crawls out, and then it can be seen without excavation. Next to such a mushroom, tubercles are often seen that resemble mole holes, but these are actually also truffles, only not completely crawled out.

Be sure to carefully examine the surface of the earth. If the roots show a huge number of midges or traces of animals, then there is a high probability that this is the place where truffles grow. It is also worth knowing what truffle midges look like. These insects prefer to leave their larvae near the place where truffles grow, so that at birth, new offspring do not look for food for a long time.

Truffles crawl to the surface of the earth more often during heavy rains, and also if they are on hillsides where large trees grow. Loose, sandy soils are considered an excellent place for the growth of mushrooms. And the most favorite place where truffles grow is where the soil contains a significant amount of lime.

If the mushroom picker managed to find at least one mushroom, then you should not immediately leave this place. Such mushrooms will never grow alone, and there is a high probability of finding about 5-6 more of these truffles nearby.

How to harvest a truffle?

To collect these mushrooms, it is enough to take a knife and a basket with you. Do not forget about the trained animal. In the past, pigs were most often used to search for truffles, which from a young age were trained to recognize its smell. But since this animal is not averse to eating a valuable mushroom itself, we decided to try to train a dog to search.

Dogs are absolutely indifferent to mushrooms, but they are no worse than pigs in searches. These dogs can be bought, but they will cost a lot of money. Although if a person really wants to start seriously looking for truffles, he must understand that these costs will certainly pay off.

Those who have already made a new searcher friend should know that when a pig or dog finds prey, the animal will certainly begin to dig the soil. This should not be allowed, because. it can damage the surface of the truffle. Therefore, the best option is to remove the animal and do the excavation yourself. It is necessary to act very carefully. Near the find, it is worth clearing as much space as possible, and then cut off the mushroom without damaging either its surface or the place where it grew, since a new truffle will soon grow there. As mentioned earlier, such mushrooms like to grow next to each other, so when cutting, you must definitely try not to damage other mushrooms.

How to grow your own truffle

In the case when you decide to start growing truffles, do not forget that they need certain climatic conditions, without which success cannot be expected.

If the temperature has serious fluctuations, for example, in summer it is too hot, and in winter, on the contrary, it is too cold, then it is best to forget about the idea of ​​growing truffles once and for all. If the climatic conditions are moderate and the climate is ideal for growing, then you can easily purchase tree seedlings that are already grafted with spores of these amazing mushrooms. These trees are not very expensive.

Be sure to find a suitable place for planting a seedling. It is desirable that animals do not have access to it, the seedling is protected from bright light and strong wind. Plus, in no case should any other representatives of the plant world grow there.

But even after the place was found, truffle cultivation does not end. Don't forget the soil. This is a very important factor for successful cultivation.

It is best to find a place where there is alkaline earth, and if there is no such place, then you must independently increase the alkaline level by introducing lime into the soil. Do not forget that fertilizing the ground before planting is strictly prohibited, otherwise the mycelium may die. Best time the year for planting a seedling with mushroom spores is spring. At this time, conditions are considered the most stable and least stressful for plants.

Average purchase price of a truffle

It's no secret that such mushrooms are considered the most expensive, but no less delicious delicacies in the world. Such a luxury can be afforded by those restaurants that are truly first-class. The price of a truffle per kg is from two to four thousand dollars. On average, mushroom pickers collect about one hundred kilograms from one hectare, so it is easy to calculate that the amount will be more than three hundred thousand dollars.

How do you most often like to serve truffles in expensive restaurants?

Already throughout for long years chefs know what truffles are, what are their unique, incomparable culinary properties. Very often they are served in restaurants in the form of pate, sauce. They like to use it as a pie filling.

There are those who like to eat truffle, the characteristics of which were presented to your attention in the article, with seafood or poultry. But there are also plenty of gourmets who perceive the mushroom as an independent dish.

Often restaurants freeze truffles so that they do not deteriorate, while the mushroom does not lose its taste. Gourmets are also encouraged to try canned truffles in good cognac. Although not every fan of experimenting will appreciate this option.

What is useful truffle?

What are truffles? Do they benefit the body? The composition of mushrooms includes a huge number of components useful for the human body. For example, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins PP, B and C, many minerals, antioxidants. It is also worth noting that truffles contain pheromones and fiber, which improve emotional condition person. Special contraindications for use this product not available, the only important factors are the freshness of the fungus and whether the person is allergic to penicillin.

A Few Interesting Factors About These Mushrooms

• Most often, truffle hunting is carried out at night, because. in cool air, dogs or pigs perceive the smell of mushrooms better.
• Previously, in Russia, a bear was used to search for truffles, from which all teeth had previously been removed. This continued until the revolution of 1917.
• Truffle is a strong aphrodisiac, and it is also believed that it contains anandamide - a substance that acts on the nervous system in the same way as marijuana.

Content

Most Russians are used to calling truffles chocolate candies with a characteristic bitter taste. However, these sweets got their name because of their resemblance to unusual mushrooms. The latter are considered expensive, they are especially appreciated by gourmets. When looking for a delicacy, difficulties often arise, because it grows at a depth of 15 cm. If you are interested in the question of where real expensive truffles, then you need to figure out what climatic conditions suit them.

What is a truffle

Truffles are fungi of the marsupial genus, which have underground tuberous fleshy fruiting bodies. Unsightly appearance does not match their excellent taste and aroma. Having tasted a delicacy, you will remember it for a lifetime. He smells autumn forest: fallen leaves, earth, wet trees. Fresh truffles have a very strong aroma. Even if cooking is not your passion, making truffles is not difficult.

The mushroom is located underground between the roots of beech, hornbeam, oak, birch, poplar, elm, linden, mountain ash, hawthorn and other trees. Developing, it draws from the roots everything vital important elements without causing any harm to the tree. Truffles love deciduous, mixed forests, earth with lime. Ripening time - from late summer to late autumn. The standard size of mushrooms is 10-15 cm, their weight is up to 500 g. Plants are found in the Volga region, Moscow, Orel, Vladimir, Samara, Leningrad regions, in the Caucasus and the Black Sea coast.

What does a truffle mushroom look like?

Fruiting bodies are round, tuberous in shape, have a fleshy, cartilaginous texture. In terms of size, it ranges from a hazelnut to a potato tuber. Outside, fruiting bodies have a leathery layer - peridium. It is smooth, cracked, or covered with large polyhedral warts. If you cut the fruiting body, then the fabric pattern will resemble marble. The shiny truffle inside has alternating light and dark veins: light ones are called “internal veins”, dark ones are called “external veins”.

Why the truffle is the most expensive mushroom in the world

Truffles are called royal mushrooms- one of the most expensive. You can find vendors offering a kilo worth over $4,000. The value of the product is explained by its rarity, unsurpassed taste and aroma. French and Italian have become famous all over the world. There are two capitals of truffles - these are Grignan and Aqualagna: here the fruits are harvested almost all year round: in autumn - white, in winter - black, in spring - banchetto, in summer - black summer.

White fruits are exquisite. They cannot be bred, they grow in very limited areas. For example, in Piedmont, mushrooms are found only in Lang, sometimes they are found in Monferrato, Roero, around Turin. The high price of such products is due to high demand and low supply. They are seasonal, they are on sale from October to January (the price depends on the variety). The most expensive delicacy is just white. Once a product weighing 1.2 kg was exhibited and sold at an Italian auction, its price was 95,000 euros.

Do truffles grow in Russia

Russian truffle is called a black summer mushroom - Tuber aestivum (from Latin). They reach a diameter of 10 cm, weight is 400 g. Age is determined by the pulp: its color is whitish, yellow-brown, gray-brown. When ripe, the fruiting body changes in consistency: in young mushrooms it is dense, in old ones it is loose. The taste of truffle is slightly sweet, the aroma is reminiscent of hazelnuts, algae. There is a delicacy in Europe, the western part of Russia, under pines, hazel, oak. The fruits can be found from June to October.

Summer black (Tuber aestivum)

This type of fruit is commonly called Saint-Jean, scorzone, edible, Burgundy. The ripening period lasts all summer and ends in late autumn. The northern regions of Russia are distinguished by a different fruiting time - from mid-summer to November. Tuber aestivum is found at a depth of 3-15 cm. The fruits are located in groups or singly, form mycorrhiza with beeches, oaks, hornbeams, rarely located near birches, pines. Often they are found in the south-west of Russia, on the Black Sea coast.

winter black

The fruit is covered with warts 2-3 cm in size, its diameter reaches 20 cm. The fresh fruit has a reddish-violet hue on the outside, after harvesting the color darkens and turns black. The flesh of the truffle is white, then turns gray and becomes gray-violet with many white, yellowish veins. The mass of such a fruit can be more than a kilogram. It often grows in Ukrainian, French, Italian lands. Ideal places for plants are birch, oak groves, beech forests. Active fruiting - from November to March. The aroma of truffle is reminiscent of musk.

white truffle

The price of the product is much higher than the previous ones. It resembles Jerusalem artichoke tubers 5-15 cm in size. Weight can be more than 1.5 kg. If you go for mature truffles, then keep in mind that the surface of the fungus is felt, in young specimens it is even. When ripe, pits and protrusions appear on the outside, the color becomes light brown, yellowish. The pulp is white, in old fruits it is grayish with yellowish veins. Mushrooms have a nutty flavor. The older the fruit, the stronger the smell. "Tubens" are found in the Vladimir, Smolensk, Kuibyshev forests from late July to early November.

Where does truffle grow in Russia

If you are interested in where truffles grow in Russia, then go to the Volga region, Vladimir, Nizhny Novgorod, Oryol, Samara, Leningrad region countries. Ripening period - all autumn months, fruiting time - the end of autumn the beginning of winter. The fruits are small in size - about 15 cm, weigh up to 500 g, grow at a depth of 10-15 cm.

The black variety is considered a summer treat. It is found in the Caucasus, on the Black Sea coast, in the Moscow and Vladimir regions. Black specimens like to develop in deciduous and mixed forests with limestone soil, near the roots of oak, beech, hornbeam, hazel. The diameter of white fruits is up to 10 cm. The time of ripening and fruiting is early summer - late autumn.

european part of Russia

They find both black (Russian) and white (Polish) fruits. The first variety breeds on the Podolsk, Belgorod, Tver, Leningrad lands. The Voronezh Forest is famous for its large amount of delicacy. Near St. Petersburg, black mushrooms are rare, but the white variety grows on Oryol, Tula land. Remember that the warmer the climate, the more likely it is to find a treat.

Caucasus and Crimea

These areas are known for their mild climate: there is everything for the active growth of the delicacy. A lot of oak and beech groves are concentrated here, which is favorable for the development of mushrooms. A large number are found on the Crimean land (steppe regions), the Northern and Western Caucasus, in North Ossetia - Alania. It is worth highlighting Anapa, Gelendzhik, the village of Abrau-Dyurso, Western Caucasus: Adagum-Pshishsky district.

Delicious mushrooms in Siberia

Many people, wondering where real expensive white truffles grow in Russia, do not suspect that the delicacy can grow on Siberian soil. For the first time, a delicacy was discovered in these places in the 19th century. The fruits grow both singly and in groups, they like to be located in deciduous and coniferous forests. Many white mushrooms are found on Tomsk land. IN Lately the inhabitants of the region began to collect fruits in kilograms, which is explained by favorable climatic conditions and active fruiting.

How to look for truffles

To find a truffle in the forest, you need to have special knowledge. They are found near the roots of trees: often found near oaks. Try to look for fruits not in clearings. Based on practice, such areas do not differ in a large number of mushrooms. It is desirable that there be black soil with high humidity. Before you go searching, consider the following:

• In advance, consider the fruits live or in photographs.
• Prepare to search for animals: specially trained pigs or dogs will do.

To " silent hunting” was successful, be guided by some features of the area. The mushroom picking rules are as follows:

• The "truffle" area, where the delicacy is located, is distinguished by stunted vegetation, gray-ashy soil.
• Mushrooms rarely come to the surface of the soil (sometimes this happens due to strong winds or heavy rains), so look for them in the ground at a depth of 10-15 cm.
• Pay attention to the tubercles, they should be dug up.
• Midges often circle over a place with mushrooms: the larvae feed on mushrooms, so insects lay their eggs nearby.

Growth features

A favorable place for the development of truffles is a large number of tree roots and soil with loose soil with a lot of sand and lime. Experienced mushroom pickers say that if you find one specimen, then you need to keep looking for a few more nearby. As a rule, you can find about 5 pieces. Often truffle develops in families, rarely - alone.

Looking for truffles in the forest

Unusual mushrooms people have been collecting for many years. It is important to consider that there is a false and real mushroom. To return home with the desired prey, it is important to follow a special technology:

• Go to the forest where there are beeches, birches, oaks, hazel.
• Look for fruits near trees with large roots.
• If the search is made with the help of pigs, then they should be put on a muzzle, because animals are very fond of eating mushrooms.
• Keep in mind the type of plant: its surface is rough, the flesh with a solid structure. The fruits resemble potato tubers in black or white shades.

Animals for finding truffles

Mushrooms have a very strong smell, which animals can easily catch even at a distance. For this reason, experienced mushroom pickers prefer to keep specially trained dogs or pigs. The latter are able to smell at a distance of 25 meters. After the aroma is determined, the pig will actively dig for the delicacy. If there is no muzzle, then you need to make sure that the pig does not eat what is found.

As for dogs, they are indifferent to eating treats, so it is not necessary to wear a muzzle before searching. Before using these four-legged “detectives”, it will take a long time to teach the rules for finding mushrooms. The dog needs to be trained for the smell. If you are planning to buy trained dog, then keep in mind that it costs more than 5000 euros.

Growing truffles at home

The delicacy is grown at home. If you take into account the above recommendations, then over time you will get a great treat:

1. First you need to create a suitable microclimate, which should be the same in summer and winter periods. The fungus does not like temperature changes.
2. Start buying trees: oak, walnut, beech. Tree roots must be infected with truffle mycelium. The price of the variant with disputes is 10-15 dollars.
3. Choose places for planting trees: they must be protected from direct sunlight, wind, animals.
4. Pay attention to the soil, it must be alkaline. Add lime to the ground if necessary.
5. Do not use fertilizer of any kind before planting the trees, as they may interfere with the development of spores.
6. Only after processing and preparing the soil, plant the acquired trees. It is advisable to do this in early spring, when the weather outside is stable.
7. Plant a tree in a 75 cm hole: pour water and only then place the plant in it.
8. Try not to damage the root system of the tree when planting. Cover them with earth very carefully, then pour plenty of water.
9. Sprinkle mulch around the root system of the tree at a distance of 30-40 cm: use oak leaves from last year.
10. Plants are covered with a film for greenhouses.
11. To feed trees, use special ready-made fertilizers (the method of their application is indicated on the packages).

truffle photo

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Where real expensive truffles grow in Russia - places of growth of black and white