The 20 Most Common Questions About Truffles — Answered (With a Little Help From Duggy, Our Truffle Dog)
- Bianca
- Dec 8
- 7 min read
By a family truffle grower in the heart of Périgord
If you spend enough time in the high limestone hills of the Périgord, you begin to understand that truffles inspire a special kind of curiosity. Even people who have never tasted one will lower their voice and lean in as though discussing something mythical, ancient and ever so slightly illicit.
And honestly? They wouldn’t be wrong.
Every winter, a thin mist threads between the oak trees and our Lagotto Romagnolo, Duggy, trots ahead of us with his nose to the ground. He already knows what we’re looking for. The scent of ripe truffle rises to him like a promise.
Over the years we’ve noticed that visitors, customers, friends — even our children’s teachers — tend to ask the same questions again and again. So here, for the curious and the soon-to-be enchanted, are the most commonly searched questions about truffles… answered by the people who grow them, hunt them, trade them, eat them and extract their goodness for hair and skin care.
1. What exactly are truffles?
Truffles are the fruiting bodies of underground fungi that live in a remarkable symbiosis with the roots of certain trees — especially oak, hazel, and hornbeam. They aren’t mushrooms in the traditional sense; they grow entirely underground and rely on animals (dogs, historically pigs, and in the wild: boar, badgers, mice) to spread their spores. Not all truffles were born equal. This is reflected in the price - the Italian white truffle and the Périgordian winter truffle being the two most coveted. Even then, there is a huge range within the type of truffle with the flavour being affected by ripeness, freshness
and the growing environment.
2. Why are truffles so expensive?
Three reasons:
Scarcity — True black winter truffles (Tuber melanosporum) are naturally rare.
Time — An orchard can take 5–10 years before producing its first truffle.
Expertise & labour — The pruning, watering, soil management, dog training, and harvesting are meticulous, seasonal, and unpredictable.
You can’t industrialise a truffle. That alone keeps the price high.
3. Where do truffles grow?
Mostly in:
France (especially Périgord, Provence, Drôme)
Italy
Spain
Parts of Australia and the US (New truffle regions are emerging)
They need calcareous soil, the right balance of humidity and heat, and a symbiotic tree partner. In other words: conditions that can’t be reproduced in a factory.
4. What do truffles taste like?
It's hard to describe, but imagine:
Deep earth after rain, that mushroomy smell when you walk through the woods
Garlic
Roasted nuts and cocoa
Umami richness
The flavour is subtle to some, intense to others, but always atmospheric — like tasting a place rather than a food. The more you eat it, the more you notice the complexities and subtleties.
5. How are truffles found?
Trained dogs are undoubtedly the best. But the old ways were to use a pig. While they are incredibly good at sniffing out truffles (as we know from night time raids of the local and deeply unpopular sangliers or wild boar).
A good truffle dog doesn’t scratch wildly; they sniff, circle, point, and have a special dig. I am still astounded when he runs straight to the hiding truffle from several meters away - what a piece of equipment that snout is! A truffle appears where moments earlier there was only soil and oak leaves.
There are some local people that still prefer the old method. They have to wait until the afternoon so that the sunlight floods across the valley. Then, they will slowly walk around brulee areas or areas previously marked in the summer (as the truffle swells, the soil will crack and a few barley seeds dropped down or a ribbon tied in the branches will mark the spot to be inspected later). They will tap the ground lightly and patiently and closely watch to see if any truffle flies appear, indicating the presence of a truffle. this might not be the most efficient method, but it is the most beautiful, slow and romantic.
Whichever you choose, there is nothing like the thrill of uncovering a truffle. It feels like finding treasure.
6. When is truffle season?
Black Winter Truffle (Tuber melanosporum): December–February
Autumn Truffle (Tuber uncinatum): September–November
Summer Truffle (Tuber aestivum): May–August
White Truffle (Tuber magnatum): October–December
Each has its own perfume, texture, and price point.
7. How long do fresh truffles last?
Fresh black truffles have a 7–10 day window of peak quality. After that, aroma begins to fade gradually.
White truffles fade even faster.
8. How should you store fresh truffles?
The golden rules:
Wrap lightly in absorbent kitchen paper
Place in a ventilated container
Keep refrigerated
Change the paper daily
Don’t bury them in rice (this can dry them out), and only freeze whole truffles if absolutely necessary.
9. How do you use truffles in cooking?
Truffles shine when used simply:
Shaved over fresh pasta
Melted into warm scrambled eggs
Infused in butter
Layered under the skin of a roast chicken
Added to potato gratin
Heat gently intensifies the aroma; high heat destroys it. Think warm embrace, not boiling cauldron. The fats from the cheese and butter help to trap the aromatics and hold the flavour of the truffle.
10. How much truffle do you need per person?
Chefs suggest 5–10 grams per person for fresh truffle dishes. But personally, I like a little more :)
11. Can you cook truffles?
Yes, but briefly.
Low heat releases aromatics; high heat kills them. The best dishes warm truffle rather than cook it.
12. What’s the truth about truffle oil?
Most truffle oils contain no truffle at all — just synthetic aroma mimicking one specific molecule of the truffle perfume. That’s why they taste one-dimensional and overpowering.
Real truffle-infused oil exists, but it’s expensive and subtle.
Often, when you buy 'truffled' foods, they will contain only this oil - it is not the same as the real thing! Make sure you read the label. Also, check to see which truffle is being used as some varieties are inferior.
13. Can you grow your own truffles?
Yes, possibly, — but prepare for patience.
An inoculated tree takes at least 5–8 years to produce its first truffle. Success depends on:
Soil pH
Climate
Tree health
Water management
Microbial life
A touch of luck
Growing truffles is less farming and more… collaborating with nature. It will be much easier to cultivate truffles in a place where they already exist.
14. Which trees produce truffles?
There are many many trees and plants that will support truffles, but the best are:
Holm oak (Quercus ilex)
Downy oak (Quercus pubescens)
Hazel (Corylus avellana)
Each brings a slightly different character to the truffles beneath them, and each is suited to a different climate etc.
15. How deep do truffles grow?
Typically 2–15 cm below the surface.
Anything deeper indicates dry summer soil.
16. What’s the difference between black and white truffles?
Black truffles (melanosporum)
Earthy, warm, chocolatey
Cookable (gently!)
Abundant in France
Peak: winter
White truffles (magnatum)
Intensely aromatic, almost floral
Never cooked
Found in Italy
Most expensive of all
The two are distant cousins with very different personalities.
17. What is a “brûlé”?
If you walk through a truffle orchard, you’ll notice circles of bare earth beneath the trees where grass refuses to grow. This is the brûlé — a sign the truffle fungus is active and outcompeting nearby plants.
It’s the orchard’s silent announcement: truffles are forming here.
18. How do you know if a truffle is ripe?
A ripe truffle has:
A deep, complex aroma
Firm texture
Distinct marbling inside
Dogs know long before we do — their noses detect biochemical signals invisible to us.
19. Why do some years produce better truffles?
Because truffles respond dramatically to:
Rainfall patterns
Summer drought
Temperature swings
Soil moisture
Natural competition underground
A wet spring and a mild autumn usually promise a fragrant winter. Extreme heat can reduce quantity and size. A few big rains in the summer can encourage larger truffles.
Truffle growers, like all farmers, become amateur meteorologists out of necessity.
20. Are truffles sustainable?
Absolutely, yes!
Truffle orchards encourage biodiversity, reduce the need for chemical inputs, and restore life to old farmland. Truffles hate to be disturbed, so we can't aggressively turn the soil as would be done for food crops. And chemical application would only affect them negatively. We reseed the soil so that truffle spores can continue to spread and allow the wild flowers to grow between rows of trees. It is a very gentle form of agriculture and suits being kept at a small scale.
A Final Words from the Périgord
Truffles are many things: mysterious, fleeting, luxurious, humble, earthy, ancient. But above all, they are alive — connected to the soil, the trees, the season, and the creatures who find them.
Every time we uncover a truffle with Duggy, we feel a jolt of wonder. Even after years of hunting, the magic has never worn off.
If you’ve ever been curious about truffles, we hope these answers bring you a little closer to the heart of it all — to the winter mornings, the rustle of oak leaves, the soft snuffle of a Lagotto nose, and the unmistakable perfume rising from the earth.
And if you ever find yourself in Périgord, come walk with us. Duggy would love to show you what he’s been smelling.
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