What Does Truffle Taste Like? A Detailed Explanation of Its Texture and Flavor Characteristics
The taste of truffle is very distinctive. It is rich in protein, amino acids and other nutrients, has extremely demanding requirements for its growing environment, and cannot be cultivated artificially. Its scarce yield is what makes it so rare and expensive, which is why Europeans rank truffle alongside caviar and foie gras as the “three great delicacies of the world.” Let us take a look below at what truffle tastes like!
What does truffle taste like?
The taste of truffle is very peculiar. The flavors of mushroom, garlic, wet mud, honey, corn, bedbug and rotting leaves have all been used to describe the aroma of truffles. Some people often say they give off the smell of musk, semen and sheets that have not been washed for years, and even professional perfumers describe it as a gasoline smell mixed with some garlic and rotten egg notes, and of course the scent of fallen leaves fermenting in heaps in some forest wetlands, blended with a hint of yeast and honey. As for what it actually tastes like, everyone reaches a different conclusion.
The Nutritional Value of Truffle
Truffle is rich in protein, 18 kinds of amino acids (including the 8 essential amino acids that the human body cannot synthesize), unsaturated fatty acids, a variety of vitamins, and essential trace elements such as zinc, manganese, iron, calcium, phosphorus and selenium, as well as large amounts of metabolites such as sphingolipids, cerebrosides, ceramides, triterpenes, androsterone, adenosine, truffle acid, sterols, truffle polysaccharides and truffle polypeptides, giving it extremely high nutritional and health value. Among these, androsterone has a notable effect in supporting yang and regulating the endocrine system. Sphingolipid compounds show clear activity in preventing Alzheimer's disease and atherosclerosis as well as in antitumor cytotoxicity. Polysaccharides, polypeptides and triterpenes have effects such as boosting immunity, anti-aging and anti-fatigue, and can be used for health preservation.
How to Eat Truffle
1. Cream of Truffle Soup
[Ingredients] 200 grams of truffle, 30 grams of butter, 100 grams of milk, 50 grams of flour, a little salt, a little chicken essence, a little white pepper, and an appropriate amount of chicken stock.
[Method] ① First wash the truffle and cut it into thin slices, put it into a blender, add the milk at the same time, and blend into a paste. ② Heat a pan, melt the butter, then turn to low heat and add the flour, stirring until fragrant. ③ Pour the blended truffle and milk paste into the pan, stir thoroughly with the flour until evenly combined, and add an appropriate amount of chicken stock, salt and chicken essence. ④ Simmer over low heat for about half an hour, then remove from the pan and serve.
2. Truffle and Silkie Chicken Soup
[Materials] 15 grams of dried truffle, one silkie chicken, and appropriate amounts of ginger slices, refined salt and cooking wine.
[Method] Soak the truffle in cold water until rehydrated and wash it clean. Slaughter and wash the silkie chicken, then cut it into pieces. Put the truffle, silkie chicken, ginger slices and cooking wine into a pot, add an appropriate amount of water and bring to a boil, then turn to low heat and simmer for 1 hour. Before removing from the heat, skim off the foam and add refined salt.
3. Truffle Omelette
[Materials] One liang of truffle, three eggs, one spoon of salt, one spoon of chicken powder.
[Method] ① Rinse the truffle briefly with clean water, take it out quickly, and gently brush away any dirt on the truffle with a small fine-bristled brush. Cut it into thin slices, put them into the beaten eggs and stir briefly, then place the mixture in the refrigerator. It is recommended to leave it for at least 4 hours so that the truffle flavor fully infuses the egg mixture. ② Take the truffle egg mixture out of the refrigerator and let it sit for 10 minutes, add an appropriate amount of salt and chicken powder, and stir well. ③ Heat a wok, pour in vegetable oil, and when the oil is 70 percent hot, pour the truffle egg mixture into the wok, turning the wok gently with your hand so that the egg mixture forms a round shape. Once the bottom of the egg mixture has set, quickly flip it over and fry the omelette into a golden round shape on both sides. Cut it into eight wedges with a spatula, plate it and serve.
4. French Truffle and Fish Maw Soup
[Materials] 1 truffle weighing 8 grams, 50 grams of wet fish maw, plus 100 grams of old hen meat and 50 grams of lean pork.
[Method] ① First wash the fish maw clean and soak it in cold water overnight; be sure not to let it touch any fat or oil. ② Put the old hen meat and lean pork into boiling water and cook briefly, then take them out and soak them in cold water, which is the so-called “passing through the cold river.” ③ Brush the surface of the truffle clean with a food brush, then grind it into a paste and set aside. ④ Put the prepared fish maw, old hen meat and lean pork into a steaming oven and stew for 4 hours. Fish maw is extremely gelatinous and tends to stick to the bottom, so it must be checked frequently during cooking to prevent burning. ⑤ Add the truffle paste to the stewed fish maw soup, add seasonings and it is ready to serve.