Mushroomy needs quiet to cut it. Truffles can be incredibly intoxicating. They are like a cologne that someone is wearing or the smell of your clothes after a bonfire night.

Think of the deep musky scent of a leather jacket. Add garlic. Do not roast or raw, but soften them slowly in butter. Yes, they are a little mushroomy, but not on the dry, rich autumn leaves side, and not the forgotten jar of dried porcini.

How do they get grown?

Truffles can be challenging to grow because of their strange tendrils, also known as mycorrhizal fungal filaments. They are difficult to steer and can fling themselves under the ground where they want. They require specially trained dogs to harvest them. Although pigs were used, they kept eating the truffles. Dogs are more open to receiving their finds in exchange for a few cooked sausages.

What are the differences?

White truffles from northern Italy are more expensive than any other and have a deeper, more dizzying aroma. Acqualagna in the north of Italy hosts an annual truffle festival. The rows of stalls line the square, selling whole truffles and truffle-related products. It smells fantastic all over. It is well worth the trip.

Mince pie truffles

Perigord is a French producer of black truffles. Although they taste similar to white truffles, their fragrance is more subtle and musky. This makes them easier to use in cooking. As they are grown across Europe, black summer truffles are now available in supermarkets at a reasonable price. If you are unable to find minced black truffles in oil, then search for them in jars.

What are their uses?

Oil is a great way to indulge in truffles, especially white truffles. Even if you only have a small amount of oil, it is worth buying the highest quality. A little bit goes a long way. Ensure they are made with white truffles and not artificially flavored or blended. Pastes made with cream, parmesan, and white truffle can be used to add a truffle flavor to sauces or risotto.

Although truffles should be eaten fresh, you can preserve them for up to a week by wrapping them in rice (see below). This will allow you to make a delicious risotto when the truffle is gone. A half-teaspoon minced black truffle mixed with softly scrambled egg is a luxurious option that won’t break the bank. Be sure to avoid mushrooms with too much padding or added flavorings.

You can try truffles if you have never tried them before. Add the butter to the hot pasta and add a little pasta cooking water. Add a small amount of truffle oil and a generous amount of Parmigiano Reggiano to the pasta. Finally, finely shave any remaining truffles.

You can also use a grater or a knife to cut the truffles as finely as possible if you don’t have a cutter. Add a pinch of black pepper to the truffles, and then enjoy! Truffle is high in umami and works well with steak. You can mix minced black truffle with mayonnaise or make flavored butter for a luxurious topping on your steak-and-chips. It’s also a fungus, so a little truffle oil can shine even the most basic mushroom dish.

How to choose the right truffle

If you can get your hands on a whole truffle, choose carefully. Please give it a proper sniff before you buy (it should be richly perfumed) and have a good squint at it too. Truffles are sold by weight, so if there’s a cheaper one that’s larger than the rest, it might be full of holes where an insect has got to it before you have. So, be wary, watch out for lumps of clay-rich soil stuck into the crevasses making it heavier too.

After you have chosen your truffles, clean them off with kitchen paper. Then, put them in a jar of Risotto Rice. You can keep them there for up to a week or a few days. They can become shriveled if they are supervised for a short time.

Do you want to learn how to make these delicious truffles?

Barney Desmazery’s Vincisgrassi is a rich, wild mushroom lasagna.

Or Ben Tish’s crowd-pleasing truffled Parsnip Bake.