What is a truffle?

Truffle is a general term for mushrooms of the genus Mycopodiaceae. There are about 10 different species, usually annual fungi, most of which grow at the root centromere of broad-leaved trees, generally under pine, oak and oak trees. Scattered in the bottom of the tree 120-150 cm, block main body hidden in the ground 3-40 cm, distributed in Italy, France, Spain, China, New Zealand and other countries.

Truffle fruiting body such as block, ascus spherical, oval, brown or brown, some as small as beans, and some as large as Fuji apples, with polygonal warts on the surface, reflecting red luster, and a depression at the top. Meat (sporogenic tissue) is white at first, brown or gray later, and turns black when it matures. The section is brown and marble, with a forest-like damp smell and dried fruit aroma to lure small animals to come to look for food and bring spores elsewhere to breed.

Truffles grow in the soil and are stem truffles attached to the roots of pine trees. They contain large amounts of water and trace mineral elements such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and fluorine. Unlike ordinary mushrooms, mushrooms are soft and juicy, but the texture is harder. Prefer alkaline soil, high-quality truffles are mainly produced in calcareous topographic areas, such as Alba in Italy, Perigo in France, Yunnan in China, etc., all located in calcareous topographic areas.

The nutrients of truffles come from attached roots and soil. if truffles have been grown in a place, the nutrients of the land and plants will be absorbed by truffles and nothing else can be grown for a period of time. Truffle can't stand any subtle changes in the environment when it's growing up, and it's surprisingly picky about the environment. As long as the surrounding living environment has undergone slight changes, truffle spores will not be able to grow, but at present, western countries have achieved semi-artificial growth.

Black truffles usually mature from November to March each year, and the best season is usually between December and March of the following year. The people who collect truffles are called "truffle hunters". Each truffle hunter has a family treasure map, recording the place, time and size of the truffles found by their parents. The process of finding truffles is interesting, and hunters from different countries use different methods.

Truffles are rich in protein, 18 kinds of amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins, zinc, manganese, iron, calcium, phosphorus, selenium and other essential trace elements, as well as a large number of metabolites such as sphingolipids, cerebral glycosides, ceramides, triterpenes, androsterone, adenosine, truffle acid, sterols, truffle polysaccharides, truffle polypeptides and other metabolites, which have high nutritional and health value. Male ketones have significant effects on Yang-aiding and endocrine regulation. Sphingolipids have obvious activities in preventing senile dementia, atherosclerosis and anti-tumor cytotoxicity. Polysaccharides, peptides and triterpenes can enhance immunity, anti-aging and anti-fatigue, and can be used for health care.