The "Black Diamond"
Excerpt from "Wikipedia" and "The Worldwide Gourmet"
A truffle is a fungi fruiting body that develops underground and relies on mycophagy for spore dispersal. Almost all truffles are ectomycorrhizal and are therefore usually found in close association with trees.
There are hundreds of species of truffles that are big, but the fruiting body of some (mostly in the genus 'Tuber') are highly prized as a food. The 18th-century French gastronome Brillat-Savarincalled these truffles "the diamond of the kitchen". Edible truffles are held in high esteem in French, Spanish, northern Italian and Greek cooking, as well as in international haute cuisine.
The genome sequence of the Périgord black truffle was published in March 2010.[1]
Contrary to what you might think, "Perigord truffle" is not a reserved designation of origin. It's a variety of truffle, to which the provenance is sometimes added. Many are found in southwestern France, in the Carpentras region and in Spain.
This is the most capricious and most prized of black truffles.
Generally round in shape, Perigord truffles can reach the size of an apple, though most often they weigh about 60 g (2 oz.). The peridium is covered in pyramidical scales that range from reddish to black at maturity. Their flesh is firm, purplish-black when ripe, and marbled with fine, white, highly ramified veins that turn red upon contact with air, and black when cooked. They have a powerful intoxicating aroma.
The truffle is rare - finding one is like uncovering a treasure. The person who discovers it, in spite of any skill he has deployed in seeking it out, knows in the end that nature has given him a valuable gift, consenting to reveal one of its well-hidden secrets. For good cooks, a basket of truffles is an exceptional prize, even though some great restaurants may use several kilograms a day at the height of the season. With this "black diamond," the world of flavors opens up movingly and mysteriously.
A truffle is a fungi fruiting body that develops underground and relies on mycophagy for spore dispersal. Almost all truffles are ectomycorrhizal and are therefore usually found in close association with trees.
There are hundreds of species of truffles that are big, but the fruiting body of some (mostly in the genus 'Tuber') are highly prized as a food. The 18th-century French gastronome Brillat-Savarincalled these truffles "the diamond of the kitchen". Edible truffles are held in high esteem in French, Spanish, northern Italian and Greek cooking, as well as in international haute cuisine.
The genome sequence of the Périgord black truffle was published in March 2010.[1]
Contrary to what you might think, "Perigord truffle" is not a reserved designation of origin. It's a variety of truffle, to which the provenance is sometimes added. Many are found in southwestern France, in the Carpentras region and in Spain.
This is the most capricious and most prized of black truffles.
Generally round in shape, Perigord truffles can reach the size of an apple, though most often they weigh about 60 g (2 oz.). The peridium is covered in pyramidical scales that range from reddish to black at maturity. Their flesh is firm, purplish-black when ripe, and marbled with fine, white, highly ramified veins that turn red upon contact with air, and black when cooked. They have a powerful intoxicating aroma.
The truffle is rare - finding one is like uncovering a treasure. The person who discovers it, in spite of any skill he has deployed in seeking it out, knows in the end that nature has given him a valuable gift, consenting to reveal one of its well-hidden secrets. For good cooks, a basket of truffles is an exceptional prize, even though some great restaurants may use several kilograms a day at the height of the season. With this "black diamond," the world of flavors opens up movingly and mysteriously.