The exciting world of truffles and its recipes

We have all heard about truffles and may have even, on occasion, been able to savour this wonderful delicacy, but do we really know what truffles are?

At a depth of about 20 centimetres, you can find an underground fungus whose fruit constitutes a real delicacy. It is the truffle, originating from a mycelium (vegetative part of the fungus) that grows and forms in association with the roots of certain trees and shrubs that are known as truffle species.

How do truffles grow?

To cultivate truffles, you need to plant trees that have previously been infected with the truffle fungus tuber Malanosporum.

Types of Truffle

There are different varieties or types of truffles, but the most well-known are the black truffle and the white truffle of the genus tuber. The white truffle is the most expensive variety of fungi on the market.

Truffles in Spain

Our country is an authentic black truffle paradise, however the more traditional and most apt areas for truffle hunting are: Huesca, Teruel, Castellón, Soria, Navarra and Cataluña.

Truffle hunting

Today, the search for truffles is put in the hands of trained dogs, who guided by the smell, find these coveted truffles that form and grow under the earth’s surface.

In the past, the search for truffles was carried out by pigs, however the pig was ruled out for such complex work as it is a very difficult animal to tame. The delicate task was therefore entrusted to the dog, an animal that without doubt is much more receptive to take instructions than its predecessor. 

Cooking with Truffle

We are in truffle season and cooking them is one of life’s great pleasures, therefore we encourage you to cook with fresh truffle whenever you can.

What’s more, truffles always manage to add their magic touch to any dish you try, both at home as well as in the best renowned restaurants.

At the Hotel Montiboli, we are accustomed to offering the best dishes prepared with truffles and for this reason, we are going to share with you one of the most appraised recipes from the great chef Jean Marc Sanz, our head chef from the Hotel Servigroup Montiboli.

It is the Ash Truffle dish, very popular in France with the name Truffe sous la cendre.

Recipe with black truffle

This is a wonderful French recipe. In traditional context, cooking with truffles consisted in working directly over a wood-burning hearth. To do this, the truffles were cleaned and after peeling were then wrapped in thin slices of bacon. In turn, the bacon wrapped truffles were then wrapped in layers of paper that were previously brushed with a small amount of oil. 

The truffles were then placed in the hearth and covered with a large amount of ash and embers. They were then left for around 30 minutes (more or less, depending on the size of the truffle).  

The curious thing was, that when opening the parcel up to find the truffle, the truffle would give off its delectable, addictive aroma which was impregnated furthermore with the bacon fat.

In other more modern versions, they began using a potato to wrap the truffle in. And we, in addition to adding our own personal touch to make one of our most signature truffle dishes, have resorted to the most advanced methods.

Ash truffle

To prepare a delicious dish of Ash Truffle, you need to follow the following steps.

We hope that after reading this new entry in our blog, you will be encouraged to make this delicious truffle recipe created by our chef Jean Marc Sanz.

And remember, we continue to count on your opinions via social networking sites.

Enjoy truffle season and this delicious recipe that we have prepared for you.

Bon Appetit!