Truffles grow underground, which makes them difficult to find. They have a long ripening process and cannot be grown, but can be cultivated. Of the more than 200 species of truffles, only 5 are of culinary interest. No wonder truffles are so exclusive! Not to mention their taste.
The growing process and truffle regions.
A truffle is a fungus, the fruit of an underground fungal network, similar to how an apple is the fruit of an apple tree. Only the truffle’s “apple tree” is completely underground. It takes 7 to 15 years for this fungal network to develop enough to produce truffles. This long maturation and their hard-to-find locations are what make truffles so exclusive. In addition, truffles can only be harvested in a limited number of areas. Unlike apples, which are grown worldwide, culinary truffles are limited to specific regions. Although truffles can be found all over the world (except Antarctica), the 5 culinary species are mainly found in countries on the northern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. Well-known truffle regions are Umbria in Italy and southwestern France.
The growth of truffles
Truffles grow only in association with specific trees, such as oaks, poplars, hornbeams and hazelnuts. These trees benefit from the fungus, which helps them absorb nutrients from the soil in exchange for carbohydrates. This creates a complex symbiosis between the soil, the tree and the truffle. However, truffles are not so friendly to surrounding plants; they eliminate all vegetation in the immediate vicinity of their host tree to create optimal growing conditions.
The Harvest
Dogs are indispensable in finding truffles. They are trained from an early age and can detect truffles underground. Although pigs also have a good nose for truffles, they often eat them themselves and damage the delicate fungal network. Therefore, hunters today prefer dogs, which detect the truffles without eating them.
The trade
Truffle hunters often sell their harvest, ranging from 100 grams to 2 kilograms, at local truffle markets. These authentic markets, sometimes set up from the trunk of a car, determine the price of the truffles. The price fluctuates weekly depending on supply, so supply and demand play a big role in these markets.
There are many kinds of truffles, culinary only five are really important. At Jean Bâton, we use two of them.
We use the black summer truffle for our Jean Bâton Black Truffle Mayonnaise and Jean Bâton Black Truffle Dressing. This gives the products an earthy, mild, nutty flavor.
‘Scorzone’. That is also how this black summer truffle is called in Italy. The ‘gleba’ (the inside of the truffle) is light brown to yellowish, often slightly lighter in ripe truffles. On the inside are many whitish, highly branched veins of varying thickness.
- Weight: 20 – 60 grams
- Size: 3 – 5 cm
- Harvest season: from May through October, depending on nature
- Harvesting areas: Piedmont, Emilia Romagna, Marche, Umbria, Lazio, Abruzzo, Campania, Molise
For the Jean Bâton White Truffle Mayonnaise, the white Bianchetti truffle is an indispensable ingredient. Its powerful flavor and aroma have slightly garlicky notes. The white Bianchetti truffle is a small white truffle, reminiscent of the larger white Alba truffle. The Banchetti truffle has a marbled “gleba” (interior) with white and also some reddish veins, on a brownish-red background.
- Weight: 10 – 30 grams
- Size: 1 – 3 cm
- Harvest season: January through April
- Harvest areas: Emilia Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria, Marche, Lazio, Campania, Molise