Where are the latest truffle producing areas? Detailed explanation of production area distribution
Truffle is the general term for a type of fungus in the phylum Ascomycota, family Tuberaceae, genus Tuber, with about 10 different varieties. It is usually an annual fungus, mostly growing attached to the roots of broadleaf trees, generally growing under pine, oak and holm oak trees, with a distinctive odor and rich in protein, amino acids and other nutrients. Let us now take a look at where truffles are produced!
Where are truffles produced?
Truffle production areas are distributed in Italy, France, Spain, China, New Zealand and other countries. Among the many types, the black truffle produced in France and the white truffle produced in Italy are the most highly rated. The appearance of Chinese truffles is very similar to French black truffles, with relatively small scales on the outer skin and relatively fine and dense white veins inside. They mainly grow on the fibrous roots of pine trees, which is also the origin of the Chinese name “truffle”. The main production areas are in the Sichuan and Yunnan areas. Mature Chinese black truffles have a complex mushroom flavor, an olfactory flavor that is hard to understand.
Edible value of truffles
Truffles are rich in protein, 18 kinds of amino acids (including 8 essential amino acids that the human body cannot synthesize), unsaturated fatty acids, a variety of vitamins, zinc, manganese, iron, calcium, phosphorus, selenium and other essential trace elements, as well as a large number of metabolites such as sphingolipids, cerebrosides, ceramides, triterpenes, androsterone, adenosine, truffle acid, sterols, truffle polysaccharides and truffle polypeptides. They have extremely high nutritional and health value, among which androsterone has significant effects in supporting yang and regulating the endocrine system, sphingolipid compounds have obvious activity in preventing Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis and anti-tumor cytotoxicity, and polysaccharides, polypeptides and triterpenes have effects such as enhancing immunity, anti-aging and anti-fatigue, and can be used for health care.
Truffle production environment
1. Truffles grow in the soil and are a type of tuber fungus attached to the roots of pine trees. They contain a large amount of water and trace mineral elements such as potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron and fluorine. Unlike ordinary mushrooms, they are not soft and juicy, but rather hard in texture. They prefer alkaline soil. High-quality truffles are mainly produced in limestone terrain areas, such as Alba in Italy, Perigord in France and Yunnan in China, all of which are located in limestone terrain areas.
2. The nutrients of truffles come from the attached tree roots and soil. If truffles have grown in a place, the nutrients of the land and plants will be absorbed completely by the truffles, and nothing else can grow there for a period of time. During the growth process, they cannot tolerate any slight environmental change, and their pickiness about the environment is truly astonishing, but at present Western countries have achieved semi-artificial cultivation.
3. Truffles especially like to grow under pine, oak, poplar, willow, hazel and linden trees, and their color and odor vary depending on the tree species. Today, mechanized farming methods, pesticide spraying of the soil, excessive or insufficient rainfall, and changes in forest tree species are also the main reasons for the large-scale reduction of truffle production in the 20th century.