A truffle is an underground, fruiting body of ascomycete fungi, most of one the species of the genus Tuber. In addition to Tuber, several other genera of fungi also are recognized as truffles, including Geopora, Picea, Leucangium, Choiromyces, and several others. The word "truffle" itself comes from the French word truffle (truffle in English) and means "little boot". The fruiting bodies of most varieties of this family have a slightly bitter taste.
Truffles are produced in the following ways from spores, which are released from the branches of a tree, by some fungi that are naturally found on the leaves and stems; or by fungi that are deliberately injected into the leaves and roots. The natural production process takes several weeks. However, if you live in a warm and damp climate, the production can be accelerated. The reason for this is because warm weather creates a greater demand for water. By increasing the humidity in the air surrounding the leaves and stems, the rate of growth of seeds is increased and the resulting truffles are ready to be shipped all over the world.
In their native France, truffles are used as a delicacy by aristocrats. For years, they have been associated with high status and sophistication. In England, truffles were often served at tea time and became a favorite with the upper class. Although there are many different recipes for black truffle salt, the true truffle flavor occurs when the salt is ground and added to a cream or milk mixture. Most people refer to this as truffle salt, but technically this term can be applied to any variety of powdered salt.
Truffle is not only delicious, it is also very nutritious. In fact, it contains more antioxidants than any other type of food, including white wine, blueberries, spinach, artichokes, cranberries, raisins, dates, nuts and peanut butter. A two-ounce serving of truffle salt has approximately eighty calories and the flavor is said to be best enjoyed the day after it was prepared. This delicious confection is far better for you than any of its glorious counterparts, including triple-packed chocolate truffle, triple-cream chocolate truffle, Swiss chocolate truffle, Mexican chocolate truffle and Hawaiian vanilla truffle.
There are literally hundreds of different combinations that will bring out the flavor of your favorite dishes. Traditionally, truffle salt is used in very simple dishes such as potatoes or polenta. However, if you are a real "foodie" you can experiment with the flavors to come up with some very interesting combinations. Here are some of my favorite recipes that I have created using truffle salt.
One of my favorites is called Baked Zucchini. It is a wonderful Italian vegetable dish that is served at most Italian restaurants. The main ingredient is a zucchini, which is cut into small pieces and then baked with olive oil, garlic and seasonings. Although, truffle salts do not go with this particular truffle flavor, it makes an excellent base for a number of other recipes that call for shredded or chopped zucchini. Other zucchini recipes that you might find interesting include shredded mozzarella, shaved Parmesan cheese, sliced portabellini mushrooms, shaved potato and of course, just plain old zucchini.
Another fun recipe that calls for truffle salt is called Creme Brulee. This is actually an amazing dessert that people usually order when they want a really easy dessert. In this recipe, all you need is some cream cheese, truffle salt, vanilla pudding mix and whipped topping. Once you combine all of these ingredients together, you will have one delicious dessert that everyone will love.
For a third and final recipe that you might like to try, you might want to try Sea Salt and Vanilla. All you need to do in this recipe is melt some sea salt over some low calorie chocolate syrup, and then pour over some whipped topping. When you pour the syrup over the sea salt, it will create a delicious, light dessert that is absolutely delicious and worth the effort to make it. If you are someone who likes to indulge in dark chocolate truffle flavors, then maybe this would be a nice change of pace for you and enjoy some delicious truffle salt flavors too!