Hungary, the the country of truffles

You might have a gourmet truffle dinner in Italy or France, and certainly you are absolutely convinced that your dish is with Italian or French truffle. Well, you could be totally wrong. You might know that Hungary is rich in various kind of truffle, but even more, – Hungary is a silent power of truffle world market. The Western European restaurants are supplied with truffle in 10-25% from Hungarian woods. We do not have the famous French Périgord black truffle (Tuber melanosporum), and we have quite few Piedmont white truffle (Trifola d’Alba Madonna, Tuber magnatum).

Hungarian Truffles

But we have a lot of

 

  • White truffle (Tuber Magnatum Pico) from 1st October to 31st December

 

and nevertheless Terfezia

You can see that the Hungarian truffle season is 10 months from 10th of June to 15th April. You can buy Hungarian truffles from Italian traders who generally rule here the domestic market or you can get it from Hungarian truffle hunters and traders directly. (Hungariantruffle, Terfezia ).
Please let me tell you some additional fact about Terfezia, the very special Hungarian white sweet truffle (Honey truffle, Mattirolomyces terfezioides)
Terfezia is a standalone sweet truffle. You can hunt it in sandy soils terroir of  flood areaof river Danube, in Acacia woods, basically only area of Hungary.

Terfezia in Neue Cuisine

Hey Chefs! Can you imagine that you end up the fear that you cannot have fresh good quality truffle for your planned menu on a given date?  Well you can just take some truffle from freezer and use it and you get the real truffle scent.

How could you do, if you do not want to use chemical aromas, but all truffles loose scent within in some days if you store, freeze, heat, – whatever you do? There is an exception: Terfezia! The secret is in its special sugar-type carbohydrate chain-molecule. The sugartype chain molecule capture the aroma much more stable way and for much longer than any other type of truffle.

Terfezia is one of the most exciting types of truffle, not only because its rarity, – that the best years the full crop is only some hundred kilograms in certain areas in Hungary, – but due to its sweetness and unique taste. In the gastronomic sense the Hungarian Terfezia speciality is sweetness. While it carries most truffle s strong aroma, Terfezia may be 10 times sweeter than sugar. Therefore, in cuisine it is used primarily to flavour dessert which is very unique among the ways in which truffle are used. One most handle of Terfezia truffle in a very special and careful manner not just because of its sweetness and unique taste, but also because it is much softer than other average truffle and thus requires attention.

Sugartype molecules capture the flavour of truffle

The secret is hidden in its sweetness. The chains of sugar type (carbohydrate) molecules could close somehow the taste, scent, flavours and aroma of truffle into the bulb, much more stable way than other type of truffles can do. So, the bulb of honey truffle and its texture could save the nature of truffle in frozen form for a year or even more, and it can bear 70 °C degree (100 (F), 200 (K) and it can still keep the flavour of truffle.

Terfezia were used in ancient Rome as highest delicate of their fine dining. Nowadays it returns to modern cuisine as a unique raw material. Last year the Hungarian team has taken some as future unique raw material of highest cusine to San Sebastián Gastronomika, meeting in the World’s Cuisine Capital. Next day that was already on the show of Elena Arzak, – one of the most admired chef in world, , presented Terfezia.

Arzak restaurant in San Sebastián, Spain.
PHOTO BY DIOPORAMA, COURTESY OF RESTAURANTE ARZAK

 

Elena and Juan Mari Arzak

Elena-and-Juan-Mari-Arzak in Restaurante Arzak San Sebastiano

Elena is the female chef guru with 3 Michelin stars, already have used Terfezia in her show, because she was so enthusiastic with it.

And Now…

This is the time to try in your kitchen this Hungarian rarity. Let’s try it for your desserts, but you can use it for main dishes because the sweetness can be combined with many other elementary tastes and can be counterbalanced or hide depending your culinary dreams. And nevertheless, you will get always the fresh truffle aroma natural way. But of course, any other truffles are also available from Hungary in season and fresh.

Resources:
1. Forbes, Arzak https://www.forbes.com/sites/catherinesabino/2019/10/10/go-to-spains-basque-country-for-legendary-restaurant-arzak/#1b0e46e05553
2. Hungarian Truffles www.hungariantruffle.hu
3. The Gardian, Elena Arzak https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/aug/19/elena-arzak-basque-chef
4. Terfezia www.terfezia.com