Content
The smooth black truffle is a conditionally edible species from the Truffleaceae family, growing in coniferous and deciduous forests. This species can only be found in Italy; it does not grow in Russia. It begins to bear fruit from September to December.
What does a smooth black truffle look like?
Tuberous fruiting body, weighing up to 120 g, red-black or dark cream color. The surface is covered with flat, warty growths, making the mushroom look smooth. The pulp is coffee-colored and darkens as it grows. The cut reveals a marble pattern formed by internal and external veins in which oblong spores are located.
Smooth truffle - tasty and healthy mushroom
Where does the smooth black truffle grow?
The smooth black truffle grows underground in small families with up to 5 fruiting bodies. The mycelium forms on the roots of coniferous and deciduous trees. It begins to bear fruit in early autumn.
Is it possible to eat smooth black truffle?
This forest dweller is a valuable and delicious mushroom, but some sources classify it as a conditionally edible mushroom. The pulp of the mushroom has a pleasant taste and aroma, which is why the species is used in cooking to improve the taste of meat and fish dishes.
The smooth black truffle is a useful forest dweller, as it contains: vitamins, protein, carbohydrates, pheromones, dietary fiber and antioxidants. 100 g of product contains 24 kcal, so mushroom dishes are recommended to be consumed during a diet.
False doubles
The smooth black truffle, like any representative of the mushroom kingdom, has similar counterparts. These include:
- Summer - an edible species that grows on calcareous soil in deciduous forests. The mushroom can be recognized by its blue-black tuberous fruiting body and light brown flesh with a pronounced marble pattern. This species can be found in Russian forests from July to September. The taste of the pulp is sweetish-nutty, the smell is rich. In cooking it is used fresh.
Delicious, delicacy, used fresh
- Winter - a valuable, delicious look. The tuber is up to 20 cm in diameter, covered with thyroid-shaped, diamond-shaped growths of red-violet or black color. In young specimens the flesh is whitish; as it ripens, it becomes violet-gray and covered with numerous light veins. This representative has a pleasant, strong aroma reminiscent of musk.
The fruit body has a nutty taste and pleasant aroma
- Perigordsky – the most exquisite and expensive type of truffles. The spherical mushroom is colored bluish-black. The firm but tender flesh is dark with a distinct, light mesh pattern. The fruit body has a bright nutty aroma and a delicate bitter taste. Grows in deciduous, less often coniferous forests, from December to March. Since its price is very high, and harvesting is difficult and does not always bring positive results, many gourmets grow truffles themselves.
The most valuable and expensive type
Rules for collection and use
Collecting truffles is not an easy job and does not always give the expected result. For mushroom hunting to go well, you need to adhere to the rules of collection:
- During growth, the fruiting body displaces neighboring plants and soil, so when picking, mushroom pickers pay attention to bare areas around trees and mounds of soil.
- The truffle attracts yellow insects that circle above the mycelium and lay larvae on the fruiting bodies.
- During growth, voids form around the fruiting body, so when hunting for mushrooms, you can use the method of tapping the soil. This option is often used by mushroom pickers with certain skills and keen hearing, since when tapped, the earth makes a thin, barely audible, ringing sound.
- The most popular way is to help animals. For this purpose, pigs and specially trained dogs are used.
Due to its beneficial properties, good taste and aroma, smooth black truffle is used in cooking, folk medicine and cosmetology.
Cooks add fresh mushrooms to meat and fish dishes, salads and sauces. It is often served with cognac, fruits and nuts.
Smooth black truffle is widely used in medicine:
- the juice is used to treat eye diseases;
- the powder helps with compound diseases;
- thanks to pheromones, mood improves and depressive syndrome goes away;
- Due to the vitamin content, immunity increases.
Despite its high cost, it is also used in cosmetology. Cosmetic masks are made from fresh mushrooms. They smooth the skin, get rid of wrinkles, tighten the facial contour, improve color and give the skin youthfulness. Despite the high cost, the procedures are popular due to the positive effect.
Conclusion
The smooth black truffle is a delicious, healthy mushroom that grows in deciduous forests. The collection of fruiting bodies is carried out only by experienced mushroom pickers, from September to December. Thanks to its good taste and smell, the mushroom perfectly complements meat and fish dishes, salads and sauces.
