Truffles are hypogeous mushrooms -- they grow underground, in symbiotic relationship with various trees. They are considered a delicacy because of their strong and unique flavor. Truffles resemble small potatoes, and range in size, usually somewhere between the size of a marble and a golf ball. Truffles require little cooking as not to compromise the flavor. Small quantities are usually sufficient to flavor foods like cheeses, pasta, rice, veal, chicken or fish.
White Truffles
White truffles ((Tuber magnatum pico) are also known as Italian truffles. They are native to regions of northern and central Italy -- like Piedmont, Tuscany and Marches -- and southern Yugoslavia. White truffles are not pure white but yellowish in color, with a smooth exterior. While truffles are all gaseous, winter white tends to release more gas. The excess gas evaporate as you cook it. The flavor is sweet, with a hint of garlic, and it diminishes within two weeks after harvest.
French Black Truffles
The French black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) is native to the Perigord region of France, but it is now grown in Australia, Spain and the United States. This variety of truffle grows under the shade of oak, chestnut elm, hazelnut and poplar trees. It grows mainly from November to March, peaking in January and February. The truffle is not pure black in appearance, but rather a grayish-brown on the outside, with white, spiderlike veins on the inside. It weighs between 2 and 3 ounces.
Summer Truffle
The summer truffle (Tuber Aestivum) is also known as the "truffe de la St. Jean." This truffle's season extends from May until the end of August. It is native to France, Italy and Spain, but they are now cultivated also in Sweden and New Zealand. Like their winter counterparts, they grow on oak, chestnut, elm, hazelnut and poplar trees. These truffles have a roundish, knobby shape, with dark brown skin. On the interior, the color is a yellowish gray. Towards summer's end, this color turns a darker brown. It is best to cook these, to bring out more of its earthy chocolate flavor.
Desert Truffle
The desert truffle (Terfezia boudieri) is native to the Middle East and Northern Africa. They have received the nickname "Lightning Truffles," because they grow after a desert thunderstorm that has wetted the terrain. Large specimens can reach the size of tennis balls.
Tags: they grow, also known, chestnut hazelnut, chestnut hazelnut poplar, hazelnut poplar, hazelnut poplar trees, poplar trees
