L'Aquila Truffle Oil Light This Godsend, known as Truffle Oil to you and me, can often make the difference between an everyday Risotto and a spectacular one.
This Truffle Oil is infused with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, but trust me, it doesn't lose any of its potency and complex, characteristic flavours.
Simply add a few drops to your favourite dish such as Stroganoff, Risotto, Soup or even Bolognese and watch the flavours come alive!
"the diamond of the kitchen" Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin
The Triumph of the Truffle
The modern word Truffle originates from the Latin term tuber, meaning 'lump'.
Since Ancient times, people have enjoyed the complex, unrivalled flavour of the truffle. Ancient Egyptians were said to have dipped whole truffles in goose fat and cooked them en papillote. The Ancient Greeks and Romans believed truffles to have therapeutic properties, namely as an aphrodisiac!
The origin of the truffle remained a mystery, during the Middle Ages being thought of as manifestations of the devil. It was only when French Botanist Claude Joseph Geoffroy classified them as a mushroom in 1711 in his paper Vegetation de la truffe, that people began to understand them a bit better.
During his reign, King Louis the 14th was said to rave about this small, knobbly ingredient. So much so, that it came into 'fashion' and has remained in favour ever since.
Since the 17th Century, the most popular means of gathering truffles, has been to use specially trained dogs or pigs. The animal remains on a leash throughout the hunt, and when it settles on a spot, the digger carefully removes the mature truffle, taking care not to disturb the younger, immature truffles. The digger then carefully replaces the earth around the truffles and moves on in the hope of discovering more.
From the 70 different types of black and white truffles found around the world, 32 varieties remain in Europe. The black truffle of Perigord, being the most valuable. Black truffles can be peeled and grated, sliced, lightly cooked and infused. It's not advisable to cook white truffles as their distinct, peppery flavour can be lost in the cooking process.
Truffle Oils- infusion or confusion?
As a modern culinary ingredient, the intention of truffle oil is to impart the flavour and aroma of the truffle into a dish without overpowering it. Some manufacturers choose to use synthetic ingredients to imitate this distinct flavour process, whereas others claim to use truffles or the by-products of truffle harvesting in the production. Some claim that it's impossible to capture the taste of the truffle in an oil. I say, stick to your budget! If you can afford the real thing, go for it, if not, stick to these flavourful infusions- remember it's just a mushroom...right?
Local Stockists
Online Stockists
What you can expect to pay
Anywhere upwards of £3.99, it completely depends on the quality of the Olive Oil and the infusion itself.
Posts
Gooseberries
No comments:
Post a Comment