What exactly is a truffle?

The term, as commonly used, refers to members of the genera Tuber and Terfezia. There are many other kinds of subterranean fungi “false truffles” which outwardly resemble the ones we eat. They are far more common than the ones that are collected for food, and some are poisonous. Truffles can be found in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America, but only three species are commercially relevant.

They live in close mycorrhizal association with the roots of specific trees. Their fruiting bodies grow underground Truffles are round, warty, irregular, and vary from the size of a walnut to that of a man’s fist. The season for most truffles falls between September and May. The mention of truffles conjures up images of the expensive French black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) from the Périgord region of south-west France, used in making pâté de foie gras, or the renowned odorous white truffle (Tuber magnatum) of Alba, in the Piedmont Italy.

Truffle is our passion

Thanks to of years of studies on real truffles, we gained a strong expertise in creating truffle flavours building a wide portfolio of solutions for your products.

The large variety, the different nuances of our truffle flavour profiles are much appreciated and popular, making Giotti the truffle flavour house.