''Tuber borchii'', known as the whitish truffle or bianchetto truffle, is a small, common species of edible

truffle A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, predominantly one of the many species of the genus ''Tuber''. In addition to ''Tuber'', many other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including '' Geopora'', '' Pe ...

excellent for use in cuisine.

Taxonomy

Given its name by

Carlo Vittadini Carlo Vittadini (11 June 1800, in Bertonico – 20 November 1865, in Milan) was an Italian doctor and mycologist. Life He studied in Milan and at the University of Pavia, where he attended the classes given by Giuseppe L. Moretti (1782–1 ...

from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''borchii'' (from von der Borch, the naturalist who described the species in 1780).

Description

It is from in size and rounded, with a tuber-like appearance, often bony or irregular. The exterior is slightly velvety and white at first, and when mature it has a smooth, reddish ochre surface with brown markings. It has a compact consistency and, when sectioned, the interior is whitish when young, light ochre or pinkish brown with age. A series of white, twisted and branched veins run through the interior. Young specimens give off a pleasant smell, but when mature they give off an unpleasant smell reminiscent of kitchen gas. The flavor is described by some as garlicky, by others as similar to hazelnuts. Seen through a microscope, the

spores In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, ...

have an ellipsoidal to rounded shape, measuring 35–55 × 25–40 microns, and are brown in colour. The ascii are rather rounded and contain 1 to 4 spores. El Fascinant món dels bolets. Volum 2. Espècies i famílies (I). ECRIC (Enciclopèdia Catalana Revistes i Col·leccionables), 2003. . Pàg. 49. There are many similar species: '' Tuber asa'' (with spores shaped like lemons when immature), '' Tuber oligospermum'' and '' Tuber puberulum'' (which has rounder spores). El Fascinant món dels bolets. Volum 2. Espècies i famílies (I). ECRIC (Enciclopèdia Catalana Revistes i Col·leccionables), 2003. . Pàg. 49.

Distribution and habitat

Whitish truffles often grow in oak groves, and less frequently under conifers. Like most truffles, it bears fruit underground, although not very deep (occasionally, mature specimens reach the surface). It bears fruit from winter to early summer (from December to June), in coastal or low-lying areas (between 200 and 1,000 metres above sea level). El Fascinant món dels bolets. Volum 2. Espècies i famílies (I). ECRIC (Enciclopèdia Catalana Revistes i Col·leccionables), 2003. . Pàg. 49. It is highly adaptable to different environments: although it prefers calcareous sandy soils (typical of coastal areas) it also bears fruit in black truffle (''

Tuber melanosporum ''Tuber melanosporum'', called the black truffle, Périgord truffle or French black truffle, is a species of truffle native to Southern Europe. It is one of the most expensive edible mushrooms in the world. Taxonomy Italian naturalist Carlo V ...

'') habitat at higher altitudes. It grows well in soils with a pH of 7–8, as well as in subalkalines with a pH of 6–7, although occasionally it also grows in soils with a pH as low as 5.2. It is found throughout Europe: from

Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...

to Italy (

Tuscany it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

, Abruzzo, Romagna, Umbria, Marche, Molise and

Sicily (man) it, Siciliana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Ethnicity , demographics1_footnotes = , demographi ...

) and the

Iberian Peninsula The Iberian Peninsula (), ** * Aragonese and Occitan: ''Peninsula Iberica'' ** ** * french: Péninsule Ibérique * mwl, Península Eibérica * eu, Iberiar penintsula also known as Iberia, is a peninsula in southwestern Europe, def ...

(

Andalusia Andalusia (, ; es, Andalucía ) is the southernmost autonomous community in Peninsular Spain. It is the most populous and the second-largest autonomous community in the country. It is officially recognised as a "historical nationality". The t ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

, and Castile and León), and from Ireland and Great Britain to

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

Use and cultivation

It is harvested from winter to spring (from mid-January to the end of April in Italy), unlike '' Tuber magnatum'', which is collected in autumn and early winter. It sells for some 300–400 €/kg. Although it is not as sought after as '' Tuber magnatum'' or ''

'', there are several reasons for its cultivation: it fruits early in new plantations (as early as 4 years in pine), is adaptable to different ecological niches, is not extremely specific to host plants, and lastly, it is very competitive with other ectomycorrhizal fungi (particularly in young plantations). Mycorrhiza Biotech of

Gibsonville, North Carolina Gibsonville ("City of Roses") is a town in both Alamance and Guilford counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Most of Gibsonville is situated in the Greensboro-Winston-Salem- High Point Combined Statistical Area and the eastern portion is in ...

has been developing methods for commercial production of bianchetto truffles in North Carolina. Their CEO, Nancy Rosborough, reports 2021 harvests from their plots are outstanding, producing as much as an estimated 200 pounds.Jacobsen, R
Has the American-Grown Truffle Finally Broken Through?
Smithsonian Magazine June 2021, Accessed 6 June 2021

References

* Iotti, M., Lancellotti, E., Hall, I. i Zambonelli, A., 2010. The ectomycorrhizal community in natural ''Tuber borchii'' grounds. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 72: 250–260

* Urbanelli, S., Sallicandro, P., De Vito, E., Bullini, L. i Biocca, E., 1998. Biochemical systematics of some species in the genus '' Truffle, Tuber''. Mycologia 90: 537–546. * de Borch, Michel-Jean 1780. Lettres sur les truffes du Piémont (French) * Vittadini, Carlo., Monographia Tuberacearum (Latin) {{Taxonbar, from=Q3915198 Truffles (fungi)