What are truffles?
Truffles are subterranean fungi which grow underground on the roots of trees that are infected with truffle spores. Truffles are round, warty, and irregular in shape and vary from the size of a walnut to that of a man’s fist. Their pungent and unique flavour is held in high culinary esteem internationally. Brillat-Savarin called truffles “the diamond of the kitchen”.

Black Gold

The flavour of the truffle is directly related to its aroma. Truffles are collected fresh during the late Autumn, early Winter in the country its grown when the tuber is mature and emits an intense perfume. If they are not collected at the proper time they will have little taste.

Truffles are located by well-trained dogs (or pigs) and experienced truffle hunters. The dogs are able to smell mature truffles growing 30cm beneath the earth and a good truffle dog can locate a truffle with pin point accuracy from 50 metres away.

Truffles in Europe occur under their native woodland trees of oak, poplar, willow and hazelnut. In the regions of France and Italy where truffles occur naturally the truffle harvests are decreasing over time. It is thought that this is due to urbanisation, climate change and pollution. For example, prior to 1914 some 1800 tonnes of truffles were harvested annually in the Perigord area alone. Now the whole of France produces less than 50 tonnes. In 1998 annual production was reported to be only 8 tonnes.

In the 1970’s a major initiative began in France to cultivate truffles. There are now also established trufferies in Spain and Italy. However productivity from these orchards is relatively small compared to that collected in the natural forests.

Outside of Europe, the first black truffles were produced in 1991 on specially inoculated oak trees in Oregon, USA. There have now been substantial plantings in the USA including a 70-hectare trufferie established near Houston Texas in 1991.

In the southern hemisphere, the winter of 1993 saw the first production of commercial truffles in New Zealand, and in 1999 black truffles were produced in Tasmania to further confirm their production feasibility in the southern hemisphere.

The Australian Truffle (Tuber Melanosporum) from WA
In Western Australia, the Wine & Truffle Company began cultivation of truffles in 1997 near Manjimup in the south western region of the state. This area was selected because the climatic and soil factors are similar to truffle producing areas in France. Over 13,000 trees were planted and spores introduced into their trufferie. As it takes about seven years before the first truffle begins to grow, their first harvest was in 2004. In 2008, an estimated 600kgs of truffle was removed from the rich ground of Manjimup, making The Wine and Truffle Co one of the largest truffle farms in the southern hemisphere. A truffle bearing tree will produce for about fifteen to thirty years so Prahran Market customers have many years of Australian truffles to look forward to!

The seven year old tree roots are all well infected with the black truffle fungus filaments, and extensive mycorrhizal activity is visible. Intensive ongoing research on factors affecting truffle production is being conducted by Dr Nicholas Malajczuk, the Company’s Truffle Consultant and his students from Murdoch University in Perth.

The Wine & Truffle Company’s trained dogs, Bandit and Guinness, seek out truffles from May through to August.

Are Australian Truffles any good?
The Australian Tuber Melanosporum black truffles from Manjimup are now so well regarded that France’s top chefs recently gave them their absolute seal of approval.

Licking his lips, Damian Pike, says “this is the time to share a truffle with our special friends. The fact they are Australian is something to be proud of, but the most important thing is that they are just damn good truffles.”

BUYER BEWARE – beware of “false truffles”– there are other types of truffles being sold in Australia at the moment that are coming from Spain (in the wrong season – their summer) and other varieties of truffles grown in places like China. These truffles do not have the same aroma or flavour and are known as “false truffles”. Do NOT be fooled into parting with good money for these very inferior truffles. ALWAYS ask where they are from and what species they are.

How do I use a Truffle?
Make the most of your truffle – first, put your truffle into an air-tight container with rice and eggs in a refrigerator until you are ready to use. The pungent odour of a truffle will penetrate the shells of eggs and flavour grains of rice. Once the prize truffle has been consumed, the “truffled” eggs may be enjoyed in an omelette and the rice in pilaf.

Cooking
Thinly slice or grate the fungus onto food and into sauces and soups just before eating. Experts recommend that veal, chicken, fish, soufflés, omelettes, pasta, and rice can be glorified with thinly sliced truffles. Cream and cheese sauces also take up the truffle flavour extremely well. Insert thin wedges of truffle under the skin of a chicken and store it overnight in the refrigerator before roasting.

Truffle Butter – The aroma and flavour of truffles are heat sensitive. Truffle butter is a good way to get the most from your black diamond since it is not heated. Finely grate a fresh truffle and add to softened unsalted butter in proportions to suit your taste. Use enough butter so that the mixture is spreadable and not crumbly. Let stand at room temperature for an hour. Spread on crackers, French bread, or baked potatoes. Truffle butter also freezes well.

* Damian Pike Wild Mushroom Specialist at Prahran Market to receive the first shipment of the 2009 Harvest of Australian Tuber Melanosporum* Truffles on 11 June (*also known as Black Perigord Truffle)