The Truffle Explained

By definition, a truffle is the fruiting body of an underground mushroom. The words origin is from a Latin term meaning “swelling” or “lump”. The majority of these species tend to grow around the base of trees because of a unique relationship between fungus and the roots of vascular plants. Ultimately, both plant and host feed off each other by providing important components to both soil life and soil chemistry.

There are many types of truffles in terms of species but the most popular for culinary purposes comes from the family genus Tuber. The 18th-century French gastronome Brillat-Savarin called these truffles "the diamond of the kitchen". Most of the Mediterranean cultures consider edible truffles to be of high value, excellent for cuisines. Of these countries, France and Italy, utilize the truffle in their cooking sequences. Two of the more popular types used are the white truffle and the black truffle.

O&CO offers both a black truffle oil and a white truffle oil produced using extra virgin olive oil from Puglia, Italy.