How should I try black truffle?
It’s just one of those tastes and scents that either does it for you or not. If you enjoy stinky cheeses, then chances are this is something you’ll like. Start with a small bottle of premium truffle oil which will be pricey but still cheaper than a truffle. A little of the good stuff goes a long way. Look for one where the ingredients say “Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Truffles” and nothing else. Ignore anything that lists “truffle flavour” or “truffle aroma” as an ingredient. Then, if you like the flavour, perhaps move onto a fresh truffle. Bear in mind that the scent is volatile and will disperse so you need to find somewhere that imports their truffles fresh. You may need to befriend a restraunteur. Most truffles will be from France or Italy (which will be coming into season soon), but Australia is also producing truffles for export now (although the season is just finishing here). My favourite way to use the oil is to mash a pile of potatoes with an indecent amount of butter, some cream
I hardly think that a very old, highly regarded and loved culinary experience could be a “fad”. Maybe its popularity in trendy American restaurants is faddish, but appreciation and love for the truffle itself is not. I’m pretty sure that all fungi are very high in the only recently recognized fifth taste, in the East called “umani”, which is basically a savory flavor. The researchers which recently identified the receptor on the tongue for umani called the receptor “aste-mGluR4”. It seems like I read somewhere that truffles are especially high in this, although I could be mistaken. But I’m sure all fungi are, which doesn’t surprise me at all as basically this is the taste that I’m fanatical about, almost to the exclusion of all others. I could eat nothing but some meats, cheese, fungi, and other things and I’d be happy. Chef Daniel Patterson in the NYT article seems awfully reactionary to me and it’s obvious that the one molecule that producers are using for so-called “truffle oil” is
It is definitely worth it to try truffles, but before you blow a wad of cash on the real thing, you should try some black truffle oil first. I’ve had both real truffle (in restaurants) and the oil (in restaurants and at home), and I love both flavors, though they are different. If you like the taste and smell of the oil (I recommend a poached egg on top of toast that’s been toasted with truffle oil and parmesan cheese), then do go get some truffles in a restaurant. As was said above, the restaurants get first pick of truffles and have better quality ones, even if you happened to pick the best of the for-sale bunch on your first try. When I tried the real thing (on plain pasta with butter at a restaurant in NY), I was surprised at how different it was to the oil. The real shaved black truffle is more about aroma and less about flavor on your tongue. The oil is much more concentrated and tastes more immediately of truffle, but the real thing is more complex and fragrant. Try it!
