Truffle

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. My comment about truffles is... I think Truffles are not worth consuming because what I have tasted... didn't taste that great... and it probably wasn't the real thing to begin with. See pictures of Truffles... .

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Truffles: The Most Expensive Food in the World

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUVcxa-wGcE

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. Truffle From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean Ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus Tuber. Some of the truffle species are highly prized as food. French gourmet Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin called truffles "the diamond of the kitchen".[1] Edible truffles are held in high esteem in French, Georgian, Greek, Italian, Croatian, Middle Eastern and Spanish cooking, as well as in international haute cuisine. Truffles are ectomycorrhizal fungi and are therefore usually found in close association with the roots of trees. Spore dispersal is accomplished through fungivores, animals that eat fungi. Etymology The origin of the word truffle appears to be the Latin term tūber, meaning "swelling" or "lump", which became tufer- and gave rise to the various European terms: Italian tartufo, French truffe, Spanish trufa, Danish trøffel, German Trüffel, Swedish tryffel, Dutch truffel,Polish trufla, Croatian tartuf / тартуф. In Portuguese, the words trufa and túbera are synonyms, the latter closer to the Latin term. The German word Kartoffel ("potato") is derived from the Italian term for truffle because of superficial similarities.[2] Biology The mycelia of truffles form symbiotic, mycorrhizal relationships with the roots of several tree species including beech, poplar, oak, birch, hornbeam, hazel, and pine.[3][4] They prefer argillaceous or calcareous soils that are well drained and neutral or alkaline.[5][6]Truffles fruit throughout the year, depending on the species and can be found buried between the leaf litter and the soil. Phylogeny The phylogeny and biogeography of truffles was investigated in 2008[7] using internal transcribed spacers (ITS) of nuclear DNA with five major clades (Aestivum, Excavatum, Rufum, Melanosporum and Puberulum); this was later improved and expanded in 2010 using large subunits (LSU) of mitochondrial DNA to nine major clades. The Magnatum and Macrosporum clades were distinguished as distinct from the Aestivum clade. The Gibbosum clade was resolved as distinct from all other clades, and the Spinoreticulatum clade was separated from the Rufum clade.[8] Read on....

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. http://foodeagle.com/eaglefeed/the-truffle-mystery-is-it-worth-it/ The Truffle Mystery: Is it Worth it? by Zyra Manto September 28, 2015 Truffle season is just around the corner and I bet truffle lovers are itching to feast their palates with this infamous ingredient even if that means cashing out $100 a plate, sometimes even more. Yep, you read that right. Way too much money for a freaking fungus! But, hold up! Before you speak out profanities or judgments, let me enlighten you about truffles. Truffles are underground version of mushrooms. It resembles small potatoes often between the size of a golf ball or marble. While none are declared to be poisonous, only a few of them can be considered a delicacy. Truffles are always below the ground, and are harvested through the aid of truffle dogs or female pigs. Truffles produce a certain scent (similar to that of a male pig sex hormone), hence the use of female pigs, and it is not until recently that dogs are trained and used for harvesting. In addition to that, truffles are rare. White truffles are available only a couple of months in a year, almost exclusively from Umbria and Piedmont, Italy. Black truffles, also called as black diamond, can be found in Perigord, France. The complexity of the whole process (this is before it's imported) definitely influence truffles’ price.White and black Truffles are notoriously expensive, with a market price of $2,000-3,600 per pound. As to its aroma and taste, renowned chef, Alex Guarnaschelli, describes truffle as "disconcerting" conjures up images of a locker room. But the aroma deceptively conceals their complex yet delicate taste. They are sublime. Truffle seems to make everything better and is no doubt a quintessential culinary ingredient as it distinctively flavors and enhance pasta, salads, sandwiches, soups, risottos, fish and shellfish the possibilities are endless. Bottom line, whether truffles are worth the price has got a lot to do with how you like to spend. Here are a few delectable dishes served with truffle: •► Truffle Pasta •► Eggs with Black Truffles (Brouillade De Truffes) •► Truffle Mac n’ Cheese •► Truffle Meatballs •► Truffle Pizza Have I convinced you yet? No? Well, I tried. .

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