By Hannah Miller, Sophia Zaslow, and Olivia Deblois-Hill
What are Truffles?
To begin understanding why truffles are an important aspect of French identity, one must have a basic physiological understanding of what a truffle is. According to Robb Walsh,
“The truffle is a mycorrhizal fungus that forms a symbiotic relationship with its host tree. Each truffle species has its own preferences in hosts; the black Perigord truffle grows primarily on oaks and filberts. The fungal colony that produces the truffle lives in the soil around the roots of the trees. It absorbs moisture and nutrients, including immobile phosphorus in the soil, which it transfers to the host's roots. In return, the tree provides the fungus with carbohydrates.” (p. 20). Unlike other types of food, truffles cannot be cultivated or farmed, which limits the number of truffles harvested each year (“Truffle Types and Seasons”).
Truffles require specific conditions for their growth (Luntz, p. 40-41). Truffles thrive in basic soils with a pH of 8, they need well drained areas with consistent low levels of rainfall throughout the year, and they required just the right amount of sunlight (p. 40-41). For example, sunlight is filtered through the canopy of oak trees, which limits the amount of sunlight truffles growing by the oak trees’ roots receive (p. 40-41). As the oak tree ages and its canopy grows, too much light gets filtered out, providing a less than optimal environment for truffle growth (p. 40-41). The particular conditions required for truffle growth (well drained soil with a pH of 8, low rainfall, specific amount of light, specific species of host tree) dictates where truffles can grow in the world, as not all countries have the climates and the environments truffles need to grow. Truffles are found in almost every continent: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and Australia (“Truffle Locations”). In Europe truffles can be found in France, Italy, and Switzerland, while in the United States truffles can be found in the Pacific Northwest (“Truffle Locations”). Globally, China is the largest producer of truffles ( “Truffle Locations”).
The Truffling Process
The first step in the truffling process is to identify the species of truffle you are searching for, as different species vary their time of harvest and the species of trees with which they maintain symbiotic relationships with. Most truffles are harvested in late fall or early winter (September/November) until late winter or early spring (January/March) (“Truffle Types and Seasons”). Some truffles deviate from this general pattern; for example, Black Summer Truffles begin their harvesting season in May, lasting until around August (“Truffle Types and Seasons”). In addition to specific harvest periods, different species of trees form symbiotic relationships with different species of trees; for example, black truffles grow around the roots of oak and filbert trees, so a truffler will look for wooded areas with these specific species of trees (Walsh, p. 20). Truffles secrete chemicals which kill the vegetation above them, so dead patches around trees are a promising indication truffles lie beneath the soil (Walsh, p. 20). Additionally, truffle flies buzzing around the base of a tree is an excellent sign truffles are nearby, as these flies lay their eggs in truffles (Walsh, p.20). Finally, to increase the chances of locating a truffle, one must acquire a truffling companion: a truffling dog or hog (Walsh, p. 20).
Hogs, with their stellar sense of smell, were originally used for truffle hunting dating back to the fifteenth century in France (Walsh, p. 20). Female hogs are especially successful at finding truffles, as they are attracted to a hormone found in truffles which is the same sex hormone found in the saliva of male pigs (Finn, 2015). However, using pigs for truffling has a variety of disadvantages which eventually led to dogs becoming the standard animal to use for truffling (Finn). Pigs will attempt to eat the truffles they find, resulting in many trufflers losing fingers as they attempt to wrestle their precious truffles out of the pigs’ mouths (Finn). In the process of hunting, pigs can tear up terrain and damage the environment, causing truffling pigs to actually be outlawed in Italy (Finn). Pigs are more bulky than dogs, and are harder to get inside of cars for transportation, which also makes them less favorable as a truffling companion (Finn). Finally, for trufflers who are attempting to be discreet as they hunt, walking around in the woods with a pig sends a clear message as to what they are doing (Finn). As a result of these drawbacks dogs have largely replaced pigs in the truffling relm, and as any dog breed can be trained to to sniff out truffles (Finn).
Types of Truffles
Approximately two-hundred different species of truffles exists (Walsh, p. 20). The more well known truffles include the perigord truffle, the bianchetto truffle, the black summer truffle, the smooth black truffle, the common black truffle, the black winter truffle, and the Moscato truffle (“truffle types and seasons”). Truffles vary in their taste, regions where they are grown, their aroma, their color, and their texture (“truffle types and seasons”). Tastes can vary from truffle to truffle—for example black summer truffles are considered to have flavors similar to porcini mushrooms, the common black truffle is considered to taste rather bitter, and the moscato truffle is considered to taste slightly spicy (“truffle types and seasons”). The Black Perigord truffle is considered to be the most prized truffle among French gourmets (Walsh, p. 20) and the most famous of all the truffles (“All About Truffles”, 2017). Perigord truffles maintain a symbiotic relationship with oak, beech, hazelnut, chestnut, birch and poplar trees (“All About Truffles”). They are harvested in the winter from Perigord in Dordogne, France, and their peak flavor is achieved in January and February (“All About Truffles”). These Perigord truffles are described as being an “exquisite blend of ‘chocolate and earth’” (“All About Truffles”).
History
Truffles being a popular food item is not just a modern idea. They have always been held in high regard. This all dates back to the Greek and Roman empires. These societies, along with many others across Asia, believed that truffles were gifts from the gods, and that these gifts were delivered through thunder and lightning. Thunderstorms are proven not to be good for truffles, as fungi need a steady rainfall throughout the year to grow, but truffles were only usually found after a good season from the gods (usually indicative of thunderstorms). This belief has actually stayed to the modern day. The French have a saying of: “Voilà un bon temps pour les truffes” which is said during a thunderstorm. The ambrosia that are truffles were left only for the high class and medical purposes. The truffle market was very similar to the modern day with a high demand and equally high pricing. (Wasson, et al)
As the Catholic Church rose in power, truffles fell out of fashion and a truffle ban was put into effect. It’s heavily implied that truffles were banned due to their “hedonistic” qualities and their connections to pagan religions. Truffles were also a ground food, which was only for peasants and animals. The concept of ground food was to separate Godly foods from earthly foods. Earthly foods were items that could be harvested from the ground such as root vegetables, mushrooms, and bland breads; however, Godly foods were wild game, fruits, sweet items, and fish. Though this ground fungi was still regarded for its taste, truffles were used by peasants to “liven up” foods. (WTAtruffles)
As the Middle Ages were lightened by the Renaissance, France move away from heavily spiced food to terroir. The Renaissance was a period of time where the revival of the arts was in full swing. This era was marked with the slow decline of the Catholic Church and with the Papacy pouring money into the arts to try and remain popular. The Papacy was moved from Rome to the Avignon, which at that point in time was a part of the Holy Roman Empire. This move was around the early 1300s and that is when the Papacy “discovered” truffles (“The Story of the Truffle.”). The region of Avignon is very close to the Piedmont region of Italy, this french region is able to grow italian white truffles. These truffles make another appearance with the Acaja Princes of Piedmont giving the Bourbon family Italian truffles as a diplomatic gift during 1324. Truffles continued to rise in popularity and people needed a better way of acquiring them. People either tried to find them on their own, following the signs of dead vegetation and truffle flies, or using a pig which could lead to disastrous results. In 1481 Bartolomeo Platina found that pigs needed a muzzle to stop from eating the “prize” of the hunt. When truffle hunting with a pig the hunter would have to risk a few fingers to try and remove the truffle from the pig’s mouth (“The Story of the Truffle.”). Now that people were equipped with the knowledge of pigs needing muzzles, truffle hunting became something that could be done safely. So following this King Francis I, historically regarded as the first king of France (but that is up in the air), honored truffles in his court and made truffle hunting a form of court entertainment (“The Story of the Truffle.”).
Jumping to the Age of Enlightenment governments once again used truffles for diplomatic purposes. Carlo Emanuele III of Savoy, at the time a region of France that was a part of northern Italy, took french/italian truffles to Britain as a show of good faith; however, in return Britain gave him British truffles which were found to be of poor taste and quality (“The Story of the Truffle.”). Of course later on this would be used to further prove that mainland, specifically French and Italian, truffles were the best. This brought in the concept of terroir. The idea of terroir was revolutionized by Rousseau. Prior to this, terroir was something that was only for peasants, as it was thought of as poor quality (Parker). However, Rousseau being the naturalist that he was, implied that the parallels between nature and superior beauty was something that needed to be appreciated. Thus where an item was being taken from implies its superiority over other items of similar creation (Parker). This further cemented truffles as a staple of the marketplace since they held so much terroir.
Every truffle was different and the flavoring was entirely dependent upon the region they came from. Truffles became a popular treat in the 1780s. Every parisian market had them and they were only for the upper class. This all came to an end with the severe droughts of the early 1800s. The Year without Summer, 1816, was when most of Europe suffered from a famine. Many mainland European countries imported grains from all over and tried to inject it into their markets to allow urban food to not rot away. The grain was offered at low prices which undermined the suffering farmers of France. However, this did not work out for the French people. Those who could afford bread hoarded it and drove people away from urban areas. These people fleeing cities upended rural France. Rural France was deforested en masse with the destruction of unproductive vineyards, the resettlement of the countryside, all coupled with the carnage of the Napoleonic Wars. This added together to make the perfect breeding ground for truffles (Webb).
In 1860 t0 1914 there were the reforestation laws. France was preparing herself for a war and trees were a key part of hiding troops and being able to move unseen. This would also make up for the destruction that happened about 50 years prior. But there was also a lucrative reason behind this. Many people planted certain types of trees to attract and breed truffles. Of course this was all for naught as there were droughts and upcoming world wars. (forgottenwoods)
France during the world wars was utterly destroyed. This heavy damage led to truffles becoming even more of an expensive and rare food item. This was also followed with a decline in demand for luxury goods as France tried to rebuild its infrastructure. With this drop came the rise of lavender. These hardy plants flourished in a damaged landscape and even lived through following droughts. Truffles, besides being put on the wayside, continued to suffer due to other fungus types infecting the truffle crop. Yet, with the economy stabilizing after the world wars, and internationally as tensions lessened, truffles came back into style and became what we know today. (Reiter)
Truffle prices and the introduction of the chinese truffles:
Truffles being sold on the French market fall into one of two categories: black and white truffles. The prices of these truffles can be astonishing and they are only getting higher. In recent years the harvest has dropped significantly. In past years 200 tons of truffles have been harvested annually, while in recent years there has only been about 20 tons harvested (Rupp). This has caused an influx in prices due to the limited market and the high demand for these rare commodities. On the market white truffles tend to sell for more than black truffles, with the prices being upwards of $168 per ounce for white truffles and $95 per ounce for black truffles. The most expensive truffle ever sold was a 4.16 pound white truffle which sold at auction for $61,000. Due to these high prices, many companies and restaurants have tried to take shortcuts to reduce costs, such as using chinese truffles in place of French or Italian truffles.
These chinese truffles are sold at market value for only $20-30 which is a massive price cut compared to the normal price for quality Italian or French truffles (Rupp). These truffles come from the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China and have little value (Rupp). Chinese Truffles, Tuber indicum, are used as food for pigs rather than for human consumption in China (Fabricant). This is due to their bland taste that is likened to that of water chestnuts or turnips (Rupp). These indistinct truffles are thought to make up 30% of the global truffle trade (Rupp). There are physical differences between the chinese truffle and the French Perigord truffle, or Tuber melanosporum, as well as differences in taste and smell. The defining physical differences are the color and the veining; chinese truffles tend to be duller in color compared to the Perigord truffle and tend to have less veining (Fabricant). Since the chinese truffles are not only bland in taste but also in smell, they are exported along with french truffle to allow them to absorb the smell of the french truffles (Fabricant). This method of shipment makes it harder to detect the fraud truffles when they are being inspected for authenticity. This kind of truffle fraud has become such an issue in France that during peak truffle season, areas of France will put up roadblocks and inspect suspicious cars (Rupp).
Usage of the Truffle in France
Truffles are highly praised and loved in France; France claims 45% of the world’s truffle production (“Truffles (Truffes)”). To preserve truffles’ quality taste, there is a specific code of conduct for storing and using them in cuisine. Truffles are stored in air tight containers along with rice or a kitchen towel to prevent truffles from rotting or getting moldy due to excess moisture (“Truffle Recipes”). Once in the air tight container with the rice or kitchen towel, they either are stored in the fridge if they will be used relatively quickly or frozen for long term storage.
Truffles and the French Identity
By Hannah Miller, Sophia Zaslow, and Olivia Deblois-Hill
What are Truffles?
To begin understanding why truffles are an important aspect of French identity, one must have a basic physiological understanding of what a truffle is. According to Robb Walsh,
“The truffle is a mycorrhizal fungus that forms a symbiotic relationship with its host tree. Each truffle species has its own preferences in hosts; the black Perigord truffle grows primarily on oaks and filberts. The fungal colony that produces the truffle lives in the soil around the roots of the trees. It absorbs moisture and nutrients, including immobile phosphorus in the soil, which it transfers to the host's roots. In return, the tree provides the fungus with carbohydrates.” (p. 20). Unlike other types of food, truffles cannot be cultivated or farmed, which limits the number of truffles harvested each year (“Truffle Types and Seasons”).
Truffles require specific conditions for their growth (Luntz, p. 40-41). Truffles thrive in basic soils with a pH of 8, they need well drained areas with consistent low levels of rainfall throughout the year, and they required just the right amount of sunlight (p. 40-41). For example, sunlight is filtered through the canopy of oak trees, which limits the amount of sunlight truffles growing by the oak trees’ roots receive (p. 40-41). As the oak tree ages and its canopy grows, too much light gets filtered out, providing a less than optimal environment for truffle growth (p. 40-41). The particular conditions required for truffle growth (well drained soil with a pH of 8, low rainfall, specific amount of light, specific species of host tree) dictates where truffles can grow in the world, as not all countries have the climates and the environments truffles need to grow. Truffles are found in almost every continent: North America, South America, Europe, Asia, New Zealand, and Australia (“Truffle Locations”). In Europe truffles can be found in France, Italy, and Switzerland, while in the United States truffles can be found in the Pacific Northwest (“Truffle Locations”). Globally, China is the largest producer of truffles ( “Truffle Locations”).
The Truffling Process
The first step in the truffling process is to identify the species of truffle you are searching for, as different species vary their time of harvest and the species of trees with which they maintain symbiotic relationships with. Most truffles are harvested in late fall or early winter (September/November) until late winter or early spring (January/March) (“Truffle Types and Seasons”). Some truffles deviate from this general pattern; for example, Black Summer Truffles begin their harvesting season in May, lasting until around August (“Truffle Types and Seasons”). In addition to specific harvest periods, different species of trees form symbiotic relationships with different species of trees; for example, black truffles grow around the roots of oak and filbert trees, so a truffler will look for wooded areas with these specific species of trees (Walsh, p. 20). Truffles secrete chemicals which kill the vegetation above them, so dead patches around trees are a promising indication truffles lie beneath the soil (Walsh, p. 20). Additionally, truffle flies buzzing around the base of a tree is an excellent sign truffles are nearby, as these flies lay their eggs in truffles (Walsh, p.20). Finally, to increase the chances of locating a truffle, one must acquire a truffling companion: a truffling dog or hog (Walsh, p. 20).
Hogs, with their stellar sense of smell, were originally used for truffle hunting dating back to the fifteenth century in France (Walsh, p. 20). Female hogs are especially successful at finding truffles, as they are attracted to a hormone found in truffles which is the same sex hormone found in the saliva of male pigs (Finn, 2015). However, using pigs for truffling has a variety of disadvantages which eventually led to dogs becoming the standard animal to use for truffling (Finn). Pigs will attempt to eat the truffles they find, resulting in many trufflers losing fingers as they attempt to wrestle their precious truffles out of the pigs’ mouths (Finn). In the process of hunting, pigs can tear up terrain and damage the environment, causing truffling pigs to actually be outlawed in Italy (Finn). Pigs are more bulky than dogs, and are harder to get inside of cars for transportation, which also makes them less favorable as a truffling companion (Finn). Finally, for trufflers who are attempting to be discreet as they hunt, walking around in the woods with a pig sends a clear message as to what they are doing (Finn). As a result of these drawbacks dogs have largely replaced pigs in the truffling relm, and as any dog breed can be trained to to sniff out truffles (Finn).
Types of Truffles
Approximately two-hundred different species of truffles exists (Walsh, p. 20). The more well known truffles include the perigord truffle, the bianchetto truffle, the black summer truffle, the smooth black truffle, the common black truffle, the black winter truffle, and the Moscato truffle (“truffle types and seasons”). Truffles vary in their taste, regions where they are grown, their aroma, their color, and their texture (“truffle types and seasons”). Tastes can vary from truffle to truffle—for example black summer truffles are considered to have flavors similar to porcini mushrooms, the common black truffle is considered to taste rather bitter, and the moscato truffle is considered to taste slightly spicy (“truffle types and seasons”). The Black Perigord truffle is considered to be the most prized truffle among French gourmets (Walsh, p. 20) and the most famous of all the truffles (“All About Truffles”, 2017). Perigord truffles maintain a symbiotic relationship with oak, beech, hazelnut, chestnut, birch and poplar trees (“All About Truffles”). They are harvested in the winter from Perigord in Dordogne, France, and their peak flavor is achieved in January and February (“All About Truffles”). These Perigord truffles are described as being an “exquisite blend of ‘chocolate and earth’” (“All About Truffles”).
History
Truffles being a popular food item is not just a modern idea. They have always been held in high regard. This all dates back to the Greek and Roman empires. These societies, along with many others across Asia, believed that truffles were gifts from the gods, and that these gifts were delivered through thunder and lightning. Thunderstorms are proven not to be good for truffles, as fungi need a steady rainfall throughout the year to grow, but truffles were only usually found after a good season from the gods (usually indicative of thunderstorms). This belief has actually stayed to the modern day. The French have a saying of: “Voilà un bon temps pour les truffes” which is said during a thunderstorm. The ambrosia that are truffles were left only for the high class and medical purposes. The truffle market was very similar to the modern day with a high demand and equally high pricing. (Wasson, et al)
As the Catholic Church rose in power, truffles fell out of fashion and a truffle ban was put into effect. It’s heavily implied that truffles were banned due to their “hedonistic” qualities and their connections to pagan religions. Truffles were also a ground food, which was only for peasants and animals. The concept of ground food was to separate Godly foods from earthly foods. Earthly foods were items that could be harvested from the ground such as root vegetables, mushrooms, and bland breads; however, Godly foods were wild game, fruits, sweet items, and fish. Though this ground fungi was still regarded for its taste, truffles were used by peasants to “liven up” foods. (WTAtruffles)
As the Middle Ages were lightened by the Renaissance, France move away from heavily spiced food to terroir. The Renaissance was a period of time where the revival of the arts was in full swing. This era was marked with the slow decline of the Catholic Church and with the Papacy pouring money into the arts to try and remain popular. The Papacy was moved from Rome to the Avignon, which at that point in time was a part of the Holy Roman Empire. This move was around the early 1300s and that is when the Papacy “discovered” truffles (“The Story of the Truffle.”). The region of Avignon is very close to the Piedmont region of Italy, this french region is able to grow italian white truffles. These truffles make another appearance with the Acaja Princes of Piedmont giving the Bourbon family Italian truffles as a diplomatic gift during 1324. Truffles continued to rise in popularity and people needed a better way of acquiring them. People either tried to find them on their own, following the signs of dead vegetation and truffle flies, or using a pig which could lead to disastrous results. In 1481 Bartolomeo Platina found that pigs needed a muzzle to stop from eating the “prize” of the hunt. When truffle hunting with a pig the hunter would have to risk a few fingers to try and remove the truffle from the pig’s mouth (“The Story of the Truffle.”). Now that people were equipped with the knowledge of pigs needing muzzles, truffle hunting became something that could be done safely. So following this King Francis I, historically regarded as the first king of France (but that is up in the air), honored truffles in his court and made truffle hunting a form of court entertainment (“The Story of the Truffle.”).
Jumping to the Age of Enlightenment governments once again used truffles for diplomatic purposes. Carlo Emanuele III of Savoy, at the time a region of France that was a part of northern Italy, took french/italian truffles to Britain as a show of good faith; however, in return Britain gave him British truffles which were found to be of poor taste and quality (“The Story of the Truffle.”). Of course later on this would be used to further prove that mainland, specifically French and Italian, truffles were the best. This brought in the concept of terroir. The idea of terroir was revolutionized by Rousseau. Prior to this, terroir was something that was only for peasants, as it was thought of as poor quality (Parker). However, Rousseau being the naturalist that he was, implied that the parallels between nature and superior beauty was something that needed to be appreciated. Thus where an item was being taken from implies its superiority over other items of similar creation (Parker). This further cemented truffles as a staple of the marketplace since they held so much terroir.
Every truffle was different and the flavoring was entirely dependent upon the region they came from. Truffles became a popular treat in the 1780s. Every parisian market had them and they were only for the upper class. This all came to an end with the severe droughts of the early 1800s. The Year without Summer, 1816, was when most of Europe suffered from a famine. Many mainland European countries imported grains from all over and tried to inject it into their markets to allow urban food to not rot away. The grain was offered at low prices which undermined the suffering farmers of France. However, this did not work out for the French people. Those who could afford bread hoarded it and drove people away from urban areas. These people fleeing cities upended rural France. Rural France was deforested en masse with the destruction of unproductive vineyards, the resettlement of the countryside, all coupled with the carnage of the Napoleonic Wars. This added together to make the perfect breeding ground for truffles (Webb).
In 1860 t0 1914 there were the reforestation laws. France was preparing herself for a war and trees were a key part of hiding troops and being able to move unseen. This would also make up for the destruction that happened about 50 years prior. But there was also a lucrative reason behind this. Many people planted certain types of trees to attract and breed truffles. Of course this was all for naught as there were droughts and upcoming world wars. (forgottenwoods)
France during the world wars was utterly destroyed. This heavy damage led to truffles becoming even more of an expensive and rare food item. This was also followed with a decline in demand for luxury goods as France tried to rebuild its infrastructure. With this drop came the rise of lavender. These hardy plants flourished in a damaged landscape and even lived through following droughts. Truffles, besides being put on the wayside, continued to suffer due to other fungus types infecting the truffle crop. Yet, with the economy stabilizing after the world wars, and internationally as tensions lessened, truffles came back into style and became what we know today. (Reiter)
Truffle prices and the introduction of the chinese truffles:
Truffles being sold on the French market fall into one of two categories: black and white truffles. The prices of these truffles can be astonishing and they are only getting higher. In recent years the harvest has dropped significantly. In past years 200 tons of truffles have been harvested annually, while in recent years there has only been about 20 tons harvested (Rupp). This has caused an influx in prices due to the limited market and the high demand for these rare commodities. On the market white truffles tend to sell for more than black truffles, with the prices being upwards of $168 per ounce for white truffles and $95 per ounce for black truffles. The most expensive truffle ever sold was a 4.16 pound white truffle which sold at auction for $61,000. Due to these high prices, many companies and restaurants have tried to take shortcuts to reduce costs, such as using chinese truffles in place of French or Italian truffles.
These chinese truffles are sold at market value for only $20-30 which is a massive price cut compared to the normal price for quality Italian or French truffles (Rupp). These truffles come from the Yunnan and Sichuan provinces in China and have little value (Rupp). Chinese Truffles, Tuber indicum, are used as food for pigs rather than for human consumption in China (Fabricant). This is due to their bland taste that is likened to that of water chestnuts or turnips (Rupp). These indistinct truffles are thought to make up 30% of the global truffle trade (Rupp). There are physical differences between the chinese truffle and the French Perigord truffle, or Tuber melanosporum, as well as differences in taste and smell. The defining physical differences are the color and the veining; chinese truffles tend to be duller in color compared to the Perigord truffle and tend to have less veining (Fabricant). Since the chinese truffles are not only bland in taste but also in smell, they are exported along with french truffle to allow them to absorb the smell of the french truffles (Fabricant). This method of shipment makes it harder to detect the fraud truffles when they are being inspected for authenticity. This kind of truffle fraud has become such an issue in France that during peak truffle season, areas of France will put up roadblocks and inspect suspicious cars (Rupp).
Usage of the Truffle in France
Truffles are highly praised and loved in France; France claims 45% of the world’s truffle production (“Truffles (Truffes)”). To preserve truffles’ quality taste, there is a specific code of conduct for storing and using them in cuisine. Truffles are stored in air tight containers along with rice or a kitchen towel to prevent truffles from rotting or getting moldy due to excess moisture (“Truffle Recipes”). Once in the air tight container with the rice or kitchen towel, they either are stored in the fridge if they will be used relatively quickly or frozen for long term storage.
There are different methods of preparing truffles depending on whether the chef is working with a black or white truffle. Black truffles are commonly peeled and eaten raw or lightly cooked (“Truffle Recipes”). White truffles are wiped clean and then eaten raw (“Truffle Recipes”). Truffles, when eaten raw, are usually grated or sliced thinly over the top of dishes such as pasta, but can also be incorporated in numerous other recipes. Truffles can be used in mayo for burgers, used in butter to melt on top of steaks, grated into scrambled eggs, or even infused into oil to make truffle oil (Nice). There is even a type of paste which can be made with white truffles, parmesan cheese and cream. This paste is often added to sauces or risottos for added flavor (Nice).
Are Truffles Important to the French National Identity?
Truffles are an integral part of the french national identity and culture. Truffles are a part of french cuisine which plays a large role in the French identity and national culture. Cuisine is held sacred in France and is a defining characteristic of their society. The french perigord truffle has deep, earthy, and chocolatey tones that compliment numerous dishes and can create a well-balanced meal, a traditional attribute of French cuisine (“All About Truffles”). Since french soil produces some of the highest quality cheeses, wines and other culinary items it is only fitting that one of the most world renowned truffles would be found within in french soil due to their unique terroir within France’s regions.
France, according to Frenchmen, is considered a naturally blessed country with its symmetrical shape and equal water-to-land border ratio providing balance. Therefore it is fitting for France to have the perfect soil, environment and climate to produce such precious culinary items. It could be argued that the reason why truffles are so expensive is due to the fact that they are found in a country with such a strong appreciation for the products of its soil and for good taste.
The french want to hold onto the sacred nature of the french truffle. Numerous farmers and chefs are appalled by the integration of the chinese truffle into the french marketplace. The french do not accept the chinese truffle due to the lack of terroir from the region that is found and the distinct lack of frenchness associated with its growth and usage. Truffles are culinary staples that are so fundamentally french and to taint that reputation by adding a fraud into the market is inexcusable to the french who strive for the best quality. This integration dulls the reputation of the french truffle and therefore hurts the french pride and identity associated with their cuisine and culture.
TRUFFLEDOG Video
Works Cited
“All About Truffles: Black Truffles from Perigord, France.” Laurel Pine, Living Luxury - Foie Gras, Truffles, Caviar, Laurel Pine, 2017, www.enjoyfoiegras.com/info/black_truffles_perigord.html.
Cacace, Giuseppe. “The Trouble With Truffles.” A Guide to Kentucky's Mammoth Cave National Park, National Geographic, 24 Oct. 2016, www.nationalgeographic.com/people-and-culture/food/the-plate/2016/octobe....
“Downy Oak.” Podere Santa Pia Toscane, 2018, www.poderesantapia.com/album/album13b.htm.
Fabricant, Florence. “The Invasion of the Chinese Truffle.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 15 Feb. 1995, www.nytimes.com/1995/02/15/garden/the-invasion-of-the-chinese-truffle.html.
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