White truffle, Italian, Piedmontese / Tuber magnatum — a genus of fungi with underground, fleshy, club-shaped fruiting bodies belonging to the order Pezizales. Considered valuable delicacies. They grow in forests as saprophytes or form mycorrhizae with tree roots. Some fruiting bodies, when cut, resemble marble.
Fruiting bodies (modified apothecia) are underground, irregularly shaped tubers, usually 2-12 cm in size and weighing 30-300 grams. Occasionally, specimens weighing over 1 kg are found. The surface is uneven, covered with a fine, velvety skin that does not detach from the flesh, light ochre or brownish in color.
The flesh is dense, ranging from white to yellowish-gray, sometimes with a reddish tinge, featuring a white and cream-brown marbled pattern. The taste is pleasant, the aroma pungent, reminiscent of cheese with garlic.
Forms mycorrhizae with oak, willow, and poplar trees; also found under linden trees. Grows in deciduous forests with loose, calcareous soil at varying depths.
Edible mushroom, a delicacy. In Italian cuisine, white truffles are used almost exclusively raw. Grated using a special grater, they are added to sauces or used as seasoning for various dishes — risotto, omelets, etc. Sliced thin, truffles are added to meat and mushroom salads.
In early November 2007, three Hong Kong magnates jointly purchased a 750-gram truffle for $209,000. It was prepared and consumed at an exclusive truffle banquet, where families and friends of the magnates gathered.
Cultivation of White Truffle on a private plot: under young trees (deciduous species) or during sapling planting, dig 3 holes, 20-25 cm in diameter and 30-50 cm deep. After thorough watering, fill the holes halfway with soil rich in peat mixed with leaf litter and wood chips.
Introduce mycelium previously mixed with dry soil. Then cover with compost to the surface of the soil. Cover the top with moss or twigs. Water as needed after planting using drip irrigation.
In winter, cover with fallen leaves or straw. The growth process occurs 30-40 cm underground and takes 2-5 years until the first harvest.
Dosage: 10 grams (1 packet) of mycelium per one mature tree or 2 saplings.
Shelf life in unopened package: 5 years.
