by Gail Kavanagh

Created on: May 17, 2010

The true gourmet knows that truffles do not just come from France. Some highly sought after varieties come from other parts of the world, including the USA and Australia.

The true gourmet also knows that different varieties of fresh truffle offer different taste experiences. Truffle hunting goes on all over the world, and these days, dogs are more often used than pigs. Let’s take a trip around the world and discover some of the international truffles available. 

The most recognized truffles come from France. The French black perigord truffle, which comes from the Perigord region, is the most well known.  Called by Brillat Savarin “the jewel of French cooking’, they are highly prized.

The Italian white truffle comes from Alba in Italy, and looks like a slightly deformed potato. Hunting dogs are used to track it down and harvest it, and the aroma and taste are very pungent. Discovered in the 18th Century, this truffle is regarded as best eaten soon after harvest, and Alba is a Mecca for foodies in October when truffle hunting season begins.

The white truffle is even more expensive than the black, as it is even more rare and confined to one region. There are other varieties, such as the Chinese truffle, which is also known as the winter truffle. The Summer truffle is black, and is found further afield, in areas as far apart as England and Turkey. English chef and green living proponent Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall has made this truffle famous by hunting for it in English woods on his River Cottage TV show.

The USA is not widely known for truffles, but it does produce some highly regarded species, particularly the Oregon White, Brown, and rare Oregon Black. More recently the state of Georgia was discovered to be the home of the Pecan Truffle, which grows under pecan trees, and which has been identified as a true member of the truffle family. 

Australian truffles look like knobbly black golfballs, and grow under oak trees. The oak is not native to Australia, and although about 300 species of truffle-like fungi have been discovered, the truffle plantations in Australia grow the more widely known varieties, such as French perigord truffles being grown in Tasmania. Truffle cultivation takes a long time but now the Australian truffle industry is actually producing enough to export to Europe.

Many more varieties may be waiting to be discovered, which means truffle hunting dogs and pigs will be kept busy for some time.

Learn more about this author, Gail Kavanagh.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.