How Do You Use Truffles in the Kitchen?

Truffles are considered an absolute delicacy. The bulbous fungus grows underground and is mainly found in France and Italy, Spain and Bulgaria. Particularly noble truffles are found so rarely that the product is correspondingly expensive. The noble mushroom comes in white and black variants.

The black variant is called the Périgord truffle and can be added raw to the finished meal or cooked in dishes. The white truffle, also called Piedmont truffle or Alba truffle, is considered to be particularly valuable and very expensive. When cooked, it would lose its characteristic scent. That’s why it is only grated afterward over the finished meal, in order to refine and ennoble it in terms of taste. The third type of truffle is black on the outside and white on the inside, the so-called summer truffle. This is the cheapest variety and falls a little in quality compared to the other two varieties.

White truffles go very well with scrambled eggs, risotto or pasta. Black truffles complement poultry, for example, sliced ​​and cooked under the skin. The tubers should always be used when they are as fresh as possible, as they lose part of their aroma every day and after about 14 days they no longer have any. Be sure to use a special truffle slicer for processing, which slices the relatively soft mushrooms into even slices.

As an alternative to real truffles, dishes can also be seasoned with a few drops of truffle oil. High-quality truffle oils are prepared with cut Périgord or Piedmont truffles. For other varieties, tasteless vegetable oils, trimmings, or peel are added. Industrially produced truffle oil, on the other hand, does not have to contain real truffles, it is made from nature-identical flavorings. In the kitchen, truffle oil is suitable for refining soups, salads, or pasta dishes, as in this recipe for truffle pasta. Depending on how they are made, truffle oils are significantly cheaper than real mushrooms.

You can find many more tasty ideas on how to use truffles in the kitchen in our recipe collection with truffles!