This is the third and last part of my truffle series. Over the past month, I have written a couple times about truffles. The first post talked about the rise of the domestic truffle industry and the second simply elaborated on what exactly a truffle is.
But now as French black Périgord truffle season is upon us, it will be good to give some online resources for buying your truffles. It is time to try that risotto with truffle shavings on top.
First of all, truffles appear during set months of the year depending upon the type of truffle and region. For instance, the black Périgord truffle from Australia starts arriving in late May and continues through August. During the summer you will also have the milder Italian black summer truffle available. After that comes the white Alba truffle from September through December, which you can buy right now. And there is also a milder black Burgundy fall truffle available right now too. Lastly, the French black Périgord starts arriving in December and goes until March — both in the US and Europe.
Of course there are other varieties too such as Oregonian white and black truffles which also appear in the winter and spring, but if you’d like to know more about the common culinary varieties, Tartufi Unlimited has a good description of each type along with the season.
One of the great things about New Zealand and Australia now producing black Périgord truffles, is that due to their winter months being reversed, we now have black Périgord truffles another 3-4 months out of the year. And the recent domestic farming start-ups in the US also ensure a better, fresher truffle supply. Who knows, but in 10 years truffle prices may even start to drop.
At the present time though, domestic and foreign truffle prices are roughly the same, despite a 100% import tariff on foreign truffles. The domestic producers are matching the going market rate and competing instead on freshness and speed of supply. Truffles are full of moisture and a long trek from Europe reduces that moisture, but it may only take domestic truffles a couple of days to get from underground to your dinner plate.
Truffles are expensive though, and not everyone appreciates the musky and earthy aroma. Right now the Italian white Alba truffles, which are in season, are pulling in $180-240 per ounce. The black Périgord truffles are a bit cheaper, and will cost roughly $60-90 per ounce, but the exact prices are determined at the beginning of each season based upon supply and demand.
If you want to buy truffles, the first place to look is domestically. In the United States, two sources are Piedmont Valley Truffles and Tennessee Truffles. Again, these will be fresher than European truffles (if you live in the US) and cost about the same. In the coming years, more and more US-based truffle farms will be coming online, so there should be more buying options in the near future. Tennessee Truffles also sells Australian black truffles in the off-season.
If you can’t get them from those sites, you may need to purchase European truffles from online gourmet food and specialty stores. Several of them exist, and I have listed a selection below. If you search online will no doubt find more suppliers.
Gourmet Food Store
Plantin
Marky’s
Sabatino Tartufi
Black Star Gourmet
Urbani Tartufi
Tartufi Unlimited
When ordering truffles, it is good to keep some general rules in mind as you won’t want to waste a lot of money or purchase some disappointing truffles.
First, when buying truffles be aware of the season and don’t buy so-called ‘fresh’ truffles when they are not in season. Anything that is too cheap is probably not a top-of-the-line French or Italian truffle, but instead a lower quality truffle. They may look similar and be the same color, but they are not the prized truffles sought after by chefs. Don’t get me wrong, they may still be very good for cooking, but you just need to be aware of what you are buying as they won’t be as aromatic or flavorful as the higher-end truffles.
Second, there are some problems with counterfeiting using Chinese black truffles. Chinese truffles are sometimes stored with real Périgord truffles to pass on the aroma to the inferior Chinese truffles, and then the lower-quality products are represented as French. Stick with established online retailers, and again, if it is too cheap, it is too good to be true.
Third, it is always best to buy fresh truffles, but if you absolutely need some truffle in the off season, you may have to turn to canned truffles. Look for some that are “first cooking whole” and canned in their liquid. Again it is best to buy only from reputable suppliers such as Plantin which offers good canned truffles.
And lastly, when you get your truffles, they may come packed in rice or vacuum packed, but it is best to store them in tightly sealed plastic or glass containers in the refrigerator and use them up quickly as truffles lose their aroma very fast. It is also not recommended to freeze them, but if you absolutely must, do it in olive oil and only for a short period of time. But the wisest thing to do is protect your investment and it quickly.
