Truffles also grow in our climate – but truffle picking is illegal…

Everyone knows truffles, the most expensive mushrooms in the world – the dream of many people, especially those who would like to find truffles on their own. But truffles are also grown in farms because they bring considerable profit to the growers and sellers. There are several types of truffles and the most expensive is the white truffle, (Tuber magnatum). This rare mushroom is sold for a very high price – around 1,200 euros per kilogram.In some parts of Europe the price can reach up to 3 200 euros. It mainly depends on the type and the size of the truffle. A little trivia fact. The most expensive truffle of the century weighed 1.5 kilograms and was auctioned for an unbelievable 330,000 dollars.

The most famous location to find truffles

Truffles need a mixture of trees such as oaks, beeches, hazels, spruces, poplars or hornbeams to grow properly. They live in symbiosis with these trees. Several sites are very famous for truffles. The most famous is undoubtedly Piedmont, Italy. But truffles are also grown and collected in France, especially in Burgundy and Perigord. You can get them in Istria in Croatia too. But places where you can find truffles are literally scattered all over the world. For example, the Oregon truffle comes from the US where it lives in symbiosis with pecans. We should also mention the Himalayan truffle, also known as Chinese or Indian truffle, which is often sold as the real stuff by many dishonest vendors.

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Special truffles

Truffles are also grown in truffle farms. Tree roots are inoculated with truffle fungus. When a bare circle forms under the tree, after several years, the grower knows that the process has been successful. Truffle farms boomed in France at the end of the 19th century. An interesting fact. The lifespan of a truffle farm is around 30 years. Black truffles are mainly grown in farms There is also a truffle called the summer truffle but this one is not the most profit generating stuff, so experts are trying to grow the most expensive white truffle with various degree of luck.

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Truffles in Eastern Europe

These mushrooms that smell like kerosene, or even rot, also grow in Eastern Europe but you need to be very lucky to find them, plus they are protected by law, so it is illegal to pick them. If you do, you can be fined up to CZK 10,000. Only if you collect truffles for scientific purposes you are allowed to do so. There are 16 types of truffles in the Eastern Europe and if you find one, the chances are that you have encountered the Tuber aestivum – the summer truffle which grows in deciduous forests. Truffles are big business and entire families make their living by picking and selling truffles. In Italy, for example, they even have specially bred dogs to sniff them out!

Photo: Pixabay

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