Truffle Salt

O.K., here's the truth—I suffer from truffle lust. I'm passionate about everything truffle, and I know it's unseemly. Black truffle, white truffle, summer truffle, winter truffle, shavings, oil, fresh or canned, I love them. I just do. And so it is with the salt. Sea salt with little chips of black truffle mixed throughout, so fragrant that as soon as you open the jar the scent just about knocks you out. I use this seasoning by the pinch in my scrambled eggs, on pasta with parmesan, in risotto, with steamed vegetables…and, to be honest, straight on my tongue. Hey, don't judge me! I bet you have a secret food fetish yourself! Anyway, this is a finishing salt, to add to a dish when it's done. The ethereal, pungent magic of truffles tends to dissipate with heat, so don't cook with it. Leave it on the table.

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Size: 3.4oz

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What is a truffle?

What is a truffle? No, not the chocolate kind—that was named after the real thing because they look similar. A truffle is a fungus that grows underground, in symbiotic relationship with the roots of oak and some other trees. Nearly impossible to cultivate (some "farms" now exist where roots are inoculated with truffle spores in an effort to grow them predictably), they are one of those rare and elusive culinary delights who's supply nowhere near equals their demand. Historically they were hunted by men with trained pigs or dogs, which were able to sniff the heady aroma through the soil like a map to buried treasure. (note: dogs have the advantage of working alongside their master to please their master, while pigs like truffles too, and won't cooperate unless they get a cut of the booty, so you don't see them used as much anymore).

Truffles are not pretty. Lumpy, a little rough-skinned, irregularly shaped and sized, Black Truffles range from dark grey to black in color, and White Truffles tend to be a sort of tan or beige. Once the dirt is removed from their skin, they're sometimes peeled, then sliced very, very thinly over prepared foods (rarely are they cooked, as the flavor dissipates when heated). The flavor and aroma are intense and heady. Some people love it and some find it a little unpleasant. I would compare it to garlic, onions, porcini mushrooms and something else, familiar and elusive…it's sexy, frankly, and I think some people are a little uncomfortable with that. Fair enough. All the more for me. Although at $400/lb for black and up to $2400/lb for white truffles, I'd need to save up my pennies for a long time to support my habit.

This is where truffle products step in. They're not cheap, but relatively speaking they're affordable, and their amazing aroma is pungent enough to be carried a long way by other, inexpensive vehicles. Oil, butter, flour and salt are all available flavored with black or white truffles, ready to add to finished dishes for that magical punch of truffle flavor. Yeah, baby!