, 1885-01-18
WHAT ARE T~RUFFLEsa
THE CURIOUS HISTORY or A FOR
R1N TABLE LUXURY.


new lofA tT1Dunc.l
srhe Importation of trufies to this country
Il ON the increase said Jacob Meyer, who,
until recently, was engaged In raising them
In Germany. near Hanover. AThey are
looked upon as a great luxury in Europe,
and ! have often wondered why they were
not moro used here
what are trufiiesf"
They are a fungous growth, similar to
the mushrooms, and are found generally In
soil impregnated with lime and always in the
neighborhood Of oak or beech trees. They
are found under the ground, at n distance
varying from an inch to a foot, and are sup
posed to be a parasite living In their early
stage upon the roots Of trees They are
oblong or spherical. and vary from the size Of
an English walnut to that OF a largo potato.
Quite frequently l ave known them to
weigh two pounds, and once / found one that
weighed three and a half pounds Some are
of a dull white color, but the black or brown
trufle has the finest flavor and brings the
best price. Their surface is rough and COW
cred with excrescences resembling warts,
and, Judging from the exterior, they would
not be selected as an article Of food. In
ternally they resemble a dark. colored mar
BILE, and are different from other known
forms OF fungi But little is known about
their propagation and growth. The repro
ductive portion Is found in minute sacs,
which contain anumber Of spores, and are
thickly scattered through the numberless
smail veins that traverse the mass in every
direction. In growing they are not attached
to any other body. and lie loosely ifhbedded
in the earth"
In what localities are truffies foundf'
AThey are found in the greatest PROPULSION
In southern France, and these are also Of the
best quality. They also grow in some parts
~ Er~lo-d Garr.anU TfoIw vef~,lfn o-I
Africa. l have never heard of any being
discovered in this country. My experince
here, where l b AVE endeavored to transplant
them, as well as in Germany, where I spent
many years in fntile efforts to cultivate them
artificially, has led mo to approve the opin-
ion of truffle hunters, that a trufie Is the
most contrary thing in the world. When
forced or coaxed, not one will appear; and
frequently a field will be unexpectedly filed.
No one knows where they come from.
1 have taken a small trufile out Of the
ground, filled up the hole, and the next day
taken a larger one from exactly the same
spot Removing this second one, have
taken a third and still larger one from the
same spot on the next day. Then for five
days not a sign OF n truffle could be seen. On
the sixth day a small truifie would be found
in exactly the same spot, and the others
would be found as before. They would
alternately appear and disappear In this
manner for about three months, and then
finally disappear altogether. At times they
grow so quickly as to awaken astonishment,
and again viii increase in size with the slow
ness OF a century plant.
"The odor of the trufie Is aromatic, pc
culiar to itself and will speedily penetrate
every room in a house. 1t produces nausea in
some people, and In others a sense of light
headedness."
as there any particular way of finding
themgp
ayes. In England and Germany dogs arc
trained to find them. generally poodles or
Spitz dogs. A truffis is given to one Of these
dogs to play with, and then is taken into a
field and planted in sight of the dog. When
feeding time comes the dog is taken TO where
the trufie Is buried, and he Is given to
understand that his getting food depends
upon finding the truffie. Some dogs arc
remarkably apt. and win gather the
idea in a few trials, while others will
never comprehend your meaning. As
soon as they are trained they are turned
loose In a truffie- bed, and will move radidly
around with noses close to the ground until
they scent the peculiar truifie odor. They
will then begin to scratch the soil, and care
must be taken to stop them or they will tear
the truftie to pieces. A good dog, however,
viii stop scratching as soon as the truffie
comes in Wow. Sometimes they are buried
so deeply that the dogs cannot reach them.
They will then lie by the hole and patiently
whit for help. In the southern part Of
France and Italy, sows, which are passion
ately fond of t~rufies, take the place Of dogs,
and search for them as an article of food.
Hunters follow the sows eround and gather
the truffies as soon as the sows begin TO root
There is q company at Perigord, France,
who are large purchasers Of trufBes. They
cook them and put them up in sealed tin
cans by a secret process. The strong odor Is
not noticeable In the canned goods, and they
have not the delicious flavor Of the fresh
trufios. The French use more Of them than
any other nation, and they are almost the
only consumers in this country. The only
objections to their universal use is their
scarcity and cost There are plenty of
trufles beds yet undiscovered, and some
day, no doubt, an improved system of
searching for them viii be invented, and
this rare flavor will become common TO every
table. Delmonico imports trufiies for his res
tarrant direct from Franco. BE serves them
sometimes with steaks like mushrooms, but
seldom are they eaten alone, on account Of
but few can stand a large dose OF them.
They are cut into thin slices and used princi
pally as a condiment for boned turkey and
chicken, scrambled eggs, fllets of beef, game,
and fish. When mixed In due proportion
they add a peculiar zest and spice to sauces
that cannot be found in any other plant in
the vegetable kingdom. There is quite a
large and increasing d~amand<for them"