The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-06-05
WHAT TRUFFLES ARE.
somsthing About this Delicate Edible Found
In France

Something About this Delicate Edible Found
In France.
To be exact, the truf1e is tuberculous
fungus. a sort of morbid extrayagation of
vegetable sugars analogous to oak balls or
nut gals, and doubtless originating, as
these latter by the sting of an insect.
During the months of July and August, "
observed M. Valserres. a noted naturalist,
"a little fly, azure winged and small of
body, penetrates into the soil at the bass OF
oak trees or elsewhere in search of certain
juices there to be found. With its sting it
pierces one portion OF the root, makes an
incision and therein lays its eggs. From
this incision, or scar, there exudes q viscous
substance, which, clinging to the root,
grows into a trufle" How exact this
theory may be is a matter of conjecture.
Certain 1t is that trufle hunters are at
tracted to their spells by little insect ;but
1t is not altogether impossible that the fly
itself is attracted, like true gourmet, by
the very existence of the precious object.
There are three species of truffles found
in France-the black and most common, the
white (highly priced and the trufe Pail
which has the flavor of garlic. They are
found in all soils, but chiefly in oak forests
or where the earth is damp and calcareous,
thriving best in an almost sterile soil.
In appearance, the ordinary truff1e is
about the size of walnut, with rough,
brown, warty surface close akin to the
potato, which it likewise resembles in
consistency though not in color. Not yield
ing to cultivation, they must be sought for
in chance places, nor is the method of OBJ
taining them the less interesting.
It is known that the pig has vigorous
appetite for this subterr0nean morsel 1t
is decided passion with the race; so that,
as the day dawns, out he is led to perform
duty which, though rather odious and dis
appointing to him, is particularly lucrative
to his master. AS the scent of the fox
leads hounds to the trail, so the odor of
truffles attracts the porker to the cherished
bed He shifts about this way and that un-
til he locates the desired object, when he
Immediately begins to root up the earth
with his awkward snout He is closely
watched during the operation by its owner,
who upon the swine uprooting the trutfie,
whacks him sharply over the nose with
stick. In the responsive grunt Of pain
which follows this brutal blow, the soft
moist fungus Is dropped from the animals
jaw, and before he can again pick il I'D it is
bagged by the hunter The beast nothing
daunted, presses on to another spot where
hidden few inches below the surface of
the ground, are more of the epicurean
dainties. And thus. after numerous repeti-
tlons of the same performance, the animal,
thoroughly disappointed, gives up in dis
gust aud submits TO being led back to It's
pen; but on the morrow, thanks to the pigs
short memory, the occurrences of the day
before are completely forgotten, and he ex-
periences again the same JOY and pain, hone
and disappointment expectation and defeat.
Truff1es are seldom found twice in the
same place. A field that may yield a great
quantity this year will be quite fruitess
the next. Though Alexander Bornholz. a
German scientist, claims to have trans
planted and raised the article in question,
experiments to that end have
proved but failures.