Frequently Asked Truffle Questions

Truffles will only grow in pristine conditions;  they will not tolerate any type of contamination that may explain why they are so rare and valuable.  However they cannot be sold as “Organic” unless the plantations or wild forests they are hunted from are certified as Organic.

Please take a look at the various recipes on our website.  Our products are incredibly versatile.  In theory they are designed primarily as finishing products, a drizzle to finish and transform a dish.  But as you will find out, they can also be used as cooking ingredients.

We do not use preservatives in our products.  Our whole truffles, minced truffles, truffle slices and truffle sauces are preserved by a sterilisation process.  The products are heat treated in a pressure cooker to ensure all bacteria is destroyed.  This process seals the jars and the product will keep in perfect condition for up to 2 years until opened.

For our olive oil based products we use a blend of Pure Olive Oil and Extra Virgin, typically 50 % of each.  All Extra Virgin Olive Oil is cold pressed.

For a generous serving, we recommend you allow approx. 6.5 grams of White or Black Winter Truffles or 12.5 grams of Black Autumn Truffles per person for a starter portion, double for a main course. So for example, for a starter portion for a Dinner Party for 8 people, you would need 50 grams of White or Black Winter Truffles, or 100 grams of Black Autumn.

Check out our recipe pages for more examples of truffle recipes and the required truffle quantities.

At TruffleHunter we believe they are ! Truffles have been used as an aphrodisiac throughout recorded history, with first accounts dating back around 4,000 years ago with the peoples of Mesopotamia and Sumer, followed by  the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Persians, and Romans, more recently with 19th and 20th century European Royal Families and Gourmets.

Who are we to argue ?

We do not recommend making Truffle Oil by infusing fresh truffles in Oil.  This is not safe, as truffles are low acid foods, oil made in this way is susceptible to clostridium, the bacteria that can cause the botulism toxin.

Fresh Truffles are best eaten as soon as possible. When you receive your truffles, we suggest you immediately wrap them individually in kitchen paper and place in an air tight glass jar in the refrigerator until use. Please don’t keep them for more than one week!

Again, we recommend eating your Truffles as soon as possible after receiving them and would always stress that Truffles are best eaten fresh. If you want to freeze Truffles they will retain their flavour and aroma for a short while if frozen in olive oil or vegetable stock.

When eating fresh Truffles raw, we would recommend any full flavoured dry white wine, for example an Italian Pecorino, Verdicchio, or Falanghina. Alternatively try a new world Chardonnay or Viognier.

When eating cooked black autumn or winter Truffles, try a full flavoured lighter bodied red wine, maybe a Sangiovese, Grenache, or a new world Pinot Noir.

Good quality sparkling wine or Champagne is always a good match with fresh Truffles, and is superb with fresh Truffle canapes!

We carefully brush all our Truffles with cold water to remove any dirt or debris before shipping. All our Truffles are therefore delivered cleaned with no further preparation required.

We recommend that our clients should wait a week or two after the official opening of the season before purchasing fresh truffles, as early season tubers can be disappointing. For example, the Sibillini Mountain Uncinatum season officially starts on the 1st October, but these Truffles are not at their best until mid October.