Truffle: black and white

Valdichiana Senese is a land rich of truffles.

Truffle contains a percentage of water and mineral salts absorbed from the soil through the roots of the tree with which it lives in symbiosis. It is born and grows mainly near the roots of the poplar, linden, oak and willow becoming an authentic parasite. The characteristics of the colour, taste and smell  are determined by the type of tree near which it grows. The one which grows in the vicinity of the oak will have a more concentrated smell while those near lindens will be brighter and aromatic. Their shape depends, however, on the type of soil. If it is soft, the truffle will look smoother; if compact, it will become gnarled and lumpy due to the difficulty of finding room to grow. Despite according to the botanists there are very few differences between the white and black truffle. In the kitchen the two types are neatly differentiated to an essential principle: the black one is eaten in greater quantities while the white one is used for aromatic purposes, transmitting its aroma to food and therefore used in small doses. The black is eaten when cooked whereas the white is almost exclusively eaten raw and sliced with the appropriate truffle slicer directly into the food.