Truffle
Happy New Year!
Truffle
Just as I lived in London for nearly 20 years and never visited St. Paul's, I've now lived in France for several years and never tasted a fresh Truffle!
Last night we finally ate half of a truffle Martine brought back with her from her fathers famous truffle selling village in northern Provence.
He'd given it to her as a Christmas present, but because we both have terrible head colds we waited before eating it as I didn't want to risk missing the full taste of the fabulously expensive, French, black diamond!
Truffles grow in several areas in France, firstly our truffle comes from The Drome area, then there are Perigord, Charente and Angouleme, also our area in the Herault, the Tarn, the Vaucluse, Lozere and the Jura.
The high season for selling and buying Truffles is in January and february, normally in little back street village markets from open car boots. Taking photographs of these markets isn't really recommended as the sellers tend not to like being seen selling such high priced, and normally, black market goods!
I did manage to take some pictures a couple of years ago and if I find them will post here.
Getting back to our Truffle, we served it on fresh pasta with salted butter, creme fresh and parmesan cheese, the truffle was cut into fine slices and mixed into the completed sauce as any cooking seriously impairs the subtle flavor.
As for the taste, how do you describe the taste of heaven?
It was a wonderfully light dish and a real novelty for us to eat.
It had a taste all of its own, it didn't taste at all like a mushroom, which was a surprise!
I would say it had a creamy, buttery, chocolate/malt taste with a faint savory after scent of slightly sulfurous gas!
Oh, and by the way, its rubbish for curing head colds! We both continued to suffer the next morning!
Just as I lived in London for nearly 20 years and never visited St. Paul's, I've now lived in France for several years and never tasted a fresh Truffle!
Last night we finally ate half of a truffle Martine brought back with her from her fathers famous truffle selling village in northern Provence.
He'd given it to her as a Christmas present, but because we both have terrible head colds we waited before eating it as I didn't want to risk missing the full taste of the fabulously expensive, French, black diamond!
Truffles grow in several areas in France, firstly our truffle comes from The Drome area, then there are Perigord, Charente and Angouleme, also our area in the Herault, the Tarn, the Vaucluse, Lozere and the Jura.
The high season for selling and buying Truffles is in January and february, normally in little back street village markets from open car boots. Taking photographs of these markets isn't really recommended as the sellers tend not to like being seen selling such high priced, and normally, black market goods!
I did manage to take some pictures a couple of years ago and if I find them will post here.
Getting back to our Truffle, we served it on fresh pasta with salted butter, creme fresh and parmesan cheese, the truffle was cut into fine slices and mixed into the completed sauce as any cooking seriously impairs the subtle flavor.
As for the taste, how do you describe the taste of heaven?
It was a wonderfully light dish and a real novelty for us to eat.
It had a taste all of its own, it didn't taste at all like a mushroom, which was a surprise!
I would say it had a creamy, buttery, chocolate/malt taste with a faint savory after scent of slightly sulfurous gas!
Oh, and by the way, its rubbish for curing head colds! We both continued to suffer the next morning!
Top Picture by Martine Roch
2nd two pictures by me at a truffle Market, Drome, North Provence, France
Comments
and we still have another half... can't wait.
You're right it doesn't cure the head cold :-\
Thank you for the photograph!