Tuber melanosporum
English: Black truffle; Périgord truffle; French black truffle
Region: Southern Europe.
Genus: 90 species.
Content: dimethyl sulphide; androstenol, a male pheromone.
Use: one of the most expensive edible mushrooms in the world.
Culture: truffer is another word for deceiver, hypocrite, liar; truffles are a delicacy, a luxury food, helping to ground.
Mycology: an underground fungus; partnership with oak, hazel, poplar, beech; many animals love truffles, especially pigs, wolf, bear, badger, rabbit, mouse, vole, squirrel and Helyzome flies; the animals disperse the spores; need well araerated, well drained, alkaline soil, rich in calcium; Tuber protects the tree against organisme and other plants growing, leading to burned earth; symbiotic; underground lifestyle; no dependency on light; favours low temperatures; distinctive odour and flavour; grows better after shock treatment.