Truffle
Tuber melanosporum · Fungus
Top 10 pairings
A knobbly underground fungus, sniffed out among oak and hazel roots by trained dogs or pigs. Its aroma is the point: musky and earthy in the black, garlicky in the white. Heat dulls it, so shave it raw over warm eggs or pasta.
Picking a good onedrag
Rock-firm, heavy, roaring aromaSoft, weeping, ammoniac
Shop freshEveryday bestBrush and shave it raw the day you buy it. Judge by smell and seller: the risk is a bland look-alike.
AromaDeep and musky held to the nose
The squeezeFirm, the rind barely dents
RindRind whole, brushed, a little dull
Cut faceVeins clear, flesh dark and firm