Tuber melanosporum

Tuber melanosporum Black Truffle the prized truffle varies in size. Its intense, pleasant, delicate and persistent aroma, varied and difficult to define, reminds something of vegetation, dried fruit, can be preserved even after cooking, its taste is intense, characteristic and persistent. The shape of Tuber melanosporum depends on the soil conditions, round in loose soils, irregular in stony and 1-10 cm in size, rarely it can reach 15 cm. Its color is dark brown to black and it has 4-6 small pyramidal protrusions. Its flesh is initially hard and whitish. When ripe it becomes soft, purplish-black with many fine white vein-like striations which redden with ripening or when cut and exposed to air, which disappear in frozen truffles.

Preservation of fresh truffle
The cleaned truffle is kept as well as the one we keep in the ground, under the following conditions:
Truffles should never be kept in water.
They should not remain in water before cleaning.
Brushing should be done under drinking water.
Wiping after washing (very important) should be done in a cool place so that the temperature difference between drying and storage is as small as possible.
Storing the truffle
Truffles absorb oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide along with aromatic substances. At a temperature of about 0 degrees Celsius, not much lower, respiration and oxidation are minimized. However, the longer they remain in such conditions, the more aroma they lose. For the proper storage and preservation of the truffle after collection, the largest amount of soil is cleaned and a thin layer is left for better preservation. They are washed and brushed only when they are to be used to avoid the risk of deterioration.
Origin: Greece - Europe