Truffle butter: Ancient luxury you can now craft at home

Truffles do not resemble other mushrooms at all. They have neither a stem nor a cap, and their fruiting bodies form a dense tuber surrounded by rough skin growing underground. The taste qualities of truffles were appreciated as far back as ancient times when the Sumerians first discovered them. This civilization inhabited southern Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) 4,000 years before our era. They were also known to the Greeks and Romans, with mentions by Plutarch, Pliny the Elder, and Dioscorides, who attributed extraordinary qualities to these mushrooms, connecting them to mysterious natural phenomena like thunder and lightning.

Truffles have always been considered luxurious, typically found on the tables of emperors, kings, and aristocrats, often served at lavish banquets with other exotic delicacies.

Several hundred years ago, in the French region of Périgueux and the Italian region of Piedmont (still the largest truffle-growing areas today), special dogs and pigs were trained to locate these precious mushrooms hidden underground. The technique of truffle hunting has not changed much, and truffles are still considered a very luxurious product—a kilogram can cost several thousand euros.

In the 19th century in Italy and France, truffle butter gained popularity. This was the result of culinary experiments by local chefs seeking methods to preserve and highlight the flavor of the mushrooms. The delicacy quickly gained recognition as an exquisite addition, ideal for refined dishes.

The butter can be made from different types of truffles: black (the most valued for its intense, nutty-spicy aroma), white (slightly garlicky with a cheese note), or summer (the most common, less distinctive in flavor).

In many stores, particularly online, today we can buy decent quality truffle butter. However, we must be prepared for a significant expense. We can also prepare it ourselves. Although fresh truffles are hard to find and expensive in our country, we can substitute them with truffle products: oil, salt, or paste.

To prepare this exquisite delicacy, we primarily need good quality butter. How to recognize it? It should contain between 80 and 90 percent milk fat (the more, the better), with no added vegetable fats, especially hydrogenated ones. Good butter must have a light, almost white color. An intense yellow color usually suggests the use of artificial coloring by the producer.

Although butter mainly consists of saturated fatty acids (often blamed for raising "bad" LDL cholesterol levels), it is also one of the richest sources of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which – as scientific studies have shown – has anti-carcinogenic properties, boosts immunity, reduces inflammation, lowers blood pressure, prevents asthma and atherosclerosis, and supports the treatment of diabetes and osteoporosis. Besides, milk fat is the most digestible dietary fat, quickly digested and converted into energy.

Butter is also a rich source of vitamin A in the form of retinol. This compound plays a vital role in our body – it is essential in the vision process, promotes cell regeneration, supports the functioning of the immune system, protects the skin and mucous membranes, and plays a part in protein synthesis and lipid metabolism.

The addition of truffles further enhances the delicacy. Scientific research has shown that these underground mushrooms are rich in fiber, ascorbic acid (vitamin C, which boosts immunity), and valuable essential amino acids, including tryptophan and lysine. Truffles are also a silicon, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, aluminum, phosphorus, sulfur, copper, and zinc source.

Take a stick of butter from the fridge 2-3 hours earlier; it should have a relatively soft consistency. If you have fresh truffles, grate them. For spreading, you can also use truffles preserved in oil (chopped), truffle oil, truffle salt, or truffle paste (in the latter three products, check the truffle content; the more, the better).

It is recommended that you use a tablespoon of truffle or truffle products per stick of butter. Mix or blend them, seasoning with salt if necessary and possibly with powdered garlic, dried oregano, smoked paprika, or fennel seeds. Transfer the butter to parchment or foil, shape it into a roll, and chill it in the refrigerator.

How to use it: It will add a unique flavor to various pasta dishes. Adding it at the end of preparing risotto will give it a unique aroma. It goes well with ravioli, gnocchi, or even our native potato dumplings. Truffle butter is worth adding to scrambled eggs and will enhance any toast or sandwich. It works well on steak and other grilled meats and is worth enriching mashed potatoes. We can also melt it on popcorn, creating a snack with an extraordinary character.