What is the truffle?
The truffle is a fungus that lives underground, in symbiosis with the roots of some plants (oak, lime tree, hazelnut, hornbeam, poplar, …), has a fleshy mass called gleba and is covered with a rind called peridium.
The shape depends on the characteristics of the soil in which it grows: a soft soil will make the truffle grow with a spherical shape, while a hard, stony and rooted soil will make the truffle grow with an irregular shape. The roots of these trees guarantee the truffle ideal climatic and environmental conditions for its development.
The truffle is able to extract minerals from the soil and donate them to the plant, while the plant supplies its sap (especially sugar) to the truffle, which allows it to grow.
How to distinguish the different species of truffles?
The method usually used to distinguish the truffle species is the organoleptic analysis, carried out within a short time of harvesting.
The characteristics that distinguish one species from another are:
- The scent
- The taste
- The appearance of the peridium
- The appearance of the gleba
- The ripening period
