It seems everyone is going crazy over this tasty and delectable fungi! If that sounds wrong and gross to you, then you probably haven’t had the pleasure of sampling some fine black truffles in your life.
Black truffles, or tuber melanosporum, is considered the most expensive fungi in the entire world. Despite its high price, it’s still in high demand among those obsessed with fine cuisine.
Why is this? Nobody actually knows why, but for some strange reason, these truffles are incredibly tasty and have the most appetizing and unique aroma. Just a few shavings of this truffle turns an ordinary dish into a delectable, high-class meal.
If you think this is too good to be true, it’s not, but don’t worry, you’re not alone. People are so enamored by its unnaturally astounding flavor and aroma that they have associated it with myths, folklore and other elements of fantasy. Just a bit of research will unearth over a dozen old wives’ tales relating to black truffles and how they came to have their unique features.
If this has piqued your curiosity, then you’re in luck. Through the years, black truffles have always been an elusive commodity. However, things are different nowadays. Advanced preservation techniques have enabled farmers and manufacturers to make truffles more readily available to the public.
So now, if you’re an ordinary housewife asking, “where can I buy black truffles?”, you now have access to the same resources which used to be available only to professional chefs and high-class restaurants. Just about anybody can go online and purchase truffles in various forms for their own personal use.
But First... Our Favorite Picks:
Buying Truffles Online
Beware though, because not all sources are of the same quality. Some may give you the freshest, most flavorful black truffles available for a reasonable price, while others might send you truffles with the toughness and taste of a rock. Worse still, you may fall victim to scam sites run by people who want to take advantage of the high demand for black truffles.
This is why we compiled our own list of black truffle products from one of the most trusted sites online, Amazon.com. If this is your first time searching for black truffles (and want some goodies in between as well) our list is a great place to start.
1. Black Truffles, Dried, Sliced
Description: These black truffles come in bags measuring 1 pound each. The truffles are dried and sliced into manageable pieces to make it easier to reconstitute and use. It was made in a facility accredited by the BRC, and is Kosher certified. To use the truffles, you first have to soak it in warm water for 30 minutes to reconstitute it. Afterward, the water can also be used to make soups and broth, meaning you don’t waste anything.
According to people who have used the product, it has the distinct smell that truffles are famous for. However, some complain that the taste is a bit lacking. Let it be known though, that this product is a cheaper alternative to pure Italian-grown truffles, which possess both the scent and the taste of luxury truffles. For its cheap price, it is a great option for people who want to try truffles for the first time, but don’t have the money to purchase high-grade ones.
Perfect for: People who are new to truffles, home cooks
2. Black Winter Truffle Butter from France
Description: If you’ve heard great things about truffles, but don’t want to take that big step into using truffles for your meals, the Black Winter Truffle Butter is the best alternative The butter has been soaked in truffles and has absorbed both its distinct aroma and flavors, so you can use the butter to liven up your dishes without having to use actual truffles.
The butter is imported from France and made from premium truffles and high-quality butter. The butter comes in 16-ounce rolls. It can be used for fried foods, baking desserts and cooking pasta - basically any recipe you can use butter on. The product’s lifespan is only a week, although with how good this product is, it’s more likely that you’d use up the product before it expires.
Perfect for: Home cooks who haven’t tried truffles yet and are hesitant to do so.
3. Sabatino Black Summer Truffle Peelings
Description: The Sabatino Black Summer Truffle Peelings comes in a 7 ounce can filled with carefully selected truffle peelings. The truffle peelings were soaked in brine and preserved using a water-based truffle nectar. The small size of the peelings makes them easier to use - you don’t have to do a lot of cutting and slicing when using truffles for garnishing anything from pasta to omelettes.
Even the juice that the peelings are soaked in can be used as a base for a vinaigrette, or as an ingredient for soups. Each peeling is carefully selected to maintain the product’s high quality. The preservation process of brine soaking gives the truffle peelings a longer lifespan while preserving its distinct aroma and flavor.
Perfect For: Truffle lovers who want an easier way to add truffles to virtually every dish they make.
4. Selezione Tartufi Black Summer Truffle Carpaccio
Description: Black summer truffles , native to Mediterranean areas, are known to have a more subtle aroma compared to other variants of truffles, although their taste is just as strong and memorable. This product makes black summer truffles more available to the masses by offering thinly sliced black truffles in a 350gram can.
The product is all-natural; no preservatives and chemicals were used that can interfere and change the flavor and aroma of the truffles.The truffles are preserved in oil, which is now enriched with the truffle’s distinct aroma and taste. The pre-sliced bits of truffles can be added directly to dishes, which is good for beginners who don’t know how to add truffles to their dishes. The preserved truffles taste and smell almost like real, fresh truffles, and only connoisseurs of truffles will actually notice the difference.
Perfect For: Beginners in truffle cooking, home cooks and commercial dining chefs.
5. 4 Jars Black Summer Truffles Carpaccio
Description: This black summer truffle carpaccio is a great alternative if you can’t get your hands on fresh, black summer truffles, either because they're not in season, or because the real thing is just too expensive for your budget. These truffle carpaccios are more affordable and last longer because of their preserved state, meaning you can use them in more dishes!
The black summer truffles are sliced into thin pieces and preserved in extra virgin olive oil in 8.6 ounce jars. As long as you refrigerate it after opening, a jar can last up to a week. The truffles are already cut into really thin slices, so all you need to do is add them to your dishes. The oil can be used instead of your usual cooking oil. The odor is not as strong as real, fresh truffles, but the oil preservation process allows it to keep its strong, flavorful taste.
Perfect For: Home cooks, beginner and recreational cooks.
6. OliveNation Black Trompette Mushrooms
Description: Black trompette mushrooms are also called horns of plenty because of their trumpet-like shape. Although the fungi is not the most attractive thing in the wild, it is extremely flavorful. When it is dried, it becomes even more distinct in taste, and even resembles black truffles, which is why it’s called fake truffles by many.
If black truffles are not available in your area, and you’re finding it difficult to acquire some, black trompettes are the next best thing. The OliveNation black trompette mushrooms come in 4,8 and 16 ounce denominations. They are relatively more affordable than actual black truffles. Dried, they taste more like black truffles and they last for a long time if stored properly. They can be reconstituted directly before use. It is a great garnish for pasta.
Perfect For: Home cooks who need a great alternative to black truffles.
7. Fresh Black Italian Summer Truffles
Description: Preserved black truffles are okay, but if you have the means to get fresh black truffles, it’s always the best option. This product gives you 4 ounces of fresh Tuber aestivum. They export weekly from Italy on the months of March to September, which is the season when black summer truffles are cultivated.
These fresh black summer truffles have a distinct nutty taste, with notes of light balsamic. You can grate these black summer truffles to make great toppings for pasts, sauces and meat dishes. These are more expensive compared to preserved truffles, and it’s not available all year.
Perfect For: true truffle enthusiasts who prefer fresh truffles to preserved ones. Chefs in high-class restaurants.
8. Alter Eco Organic Black Truffles
Description: if you love chocolate truffles , then consider this treat as the chocolate truffle of the gods. Coated with pure, dark milk chocolate of the highest quality, these little truffles practically melt in your mouth. Once you bite into the dark chocolate coating, you get a taste of the creamy center made of coconut oil and premium cacao.
These taste so good that you’d think they’d be bad for you, but they’re actually pretty healthy! These chocolates used in making these truffles are completely GMO-free. Dark chocolate promotes better blood flow and contains antioxidants. Best of all, it is gluten-free, so more people can enjoy its chocolatey goodness. Each jar contains 60 truffles.
Perfect For: Chocolate lovers who want healthier options without compromising the taste.
9. Fresh Truffle in Box Packing
Description: All your fresh truffle needs are right here. No matter what you need, whether it be black summer truffles or winter truffles, you can order it here safely. The truffles are completely fresh straight from the wild and exported carefully to preserve their natural aroma and taste. They are packed in 800 gram boxes, good enough for a week’s worth of truffle cooking.
Unlike preserved truffles, fresh truffles possess a really strong aroma that instantly improves any dish you cook with just a few shavings or finely sliced bits. The truffle is at its peak in quality when it's fresh from the wild, so you don’t need to use a lot to bring out its distinct taste.
Perfect For: True truffle connoisseurs who only want the best quality truffles for their luxury cuisine.
10. Flash-Frozen Italian Summer Black Truffles
Description: Canned and preserved truffles , although extremely convenient, undergoes a process which diminishes its taste slightly and its aroma greatly. Before, if you wanted the best, you went for fresh, wild truffles. However, truffles only grow when in season, so if you want to cook with truffles all-year round, you have to settle for the preserved kinds.
Now, there’s another process which involves flash freezing the truffles, which preserves the taste and aroma of the truffle as best as possible. This product contains flash-frozen summer black truffles, which you can use all-year round without compromising its quality.
With flash-freezing, only the odor is diminished a little - the taste remains intact as if they were freshly picked truffles. While each pack only contains half a pound of truffles, since they retain their freshness pretty well, you only need a few shavings to truly bring out its flavor.
Perfect For: Professional chefs who want to use truffles in their cuisine all-year round.
11. Winter Black French Truffles
Description: No products found. are native to France and true to their name, they grow during the winter months. Not only are they difficult to cultivate, they are extremely rare, earning it the nickname “black diamond”. These truffles are already difficult enough to find during the winter months, so what more during summer months?
This product contains 1 ounce of preserved winter black truffles. The truffles are soaked in brine solution to prolong its lifespan so chefs can make use of the product all year, no matter what the season. Although the aroma diminishes because of this process, it’s a good alternative, especially if you’re finding it hard to procure winter truffles. The jar is good enough for a week’s worth of cooking.
Perfect For: Chefs who need to cook with truffles all-year round and home cooks who don’t have the means to get fresh, wild truffles.
12. Squirrel Brand Italian Black Truffle Almonds
Description: They say anything tastes better when you add black truffles to it. The Squirrel Brand black truffle almonds are clear proof of this. High quality California almond nuts are soaked in a solution filled with ground black winter truffles. The ground truffles are authentic Italian black truffles, known for their strong flavor and aroma.
The taste of the almonds and ground truffles come together nicely, without one overpowering the other. These truffle-flavored almond nuts can be used in baking treats, or you can even eat them on their own.
Perfect For: Lovers of both almonds and truffles who want to try something different.
13. Black Truffles, Dried, Sliced
Description: The black truffles are carefully chosen to keep their quality consistent. Then they’re sliced into smaller, more manageable sizes to make it easier to add to dishes and meals. Each bag contains 1 pound of black truffle, enough for one week’s worth of meals.
Drying the truffles prolongs its shelf life without taking away its flavor. Compared to fresh, wild black truffles, dried truffles have a subtle aroma, but there’s not much difference when it comes to their taste, especially to the uninitiated. Only professional chefs might notice a slight difference from fresh truffles. To use the truffles, just reconstitute them by soaking them in warm water right before using them on your dishes.
Perfect For: Home cooks who don’t have the means and the budget for expensive fresh, wild truffles.
14. Italian Black Truffle Almond Butter
Description: Tired of the usual peanut butter spread on your sandwiches? The Italian black truffle almond butter can elevate your experience by a hundredfold! This heavenly almond butter starts out as wild black truffles from Northern Italy. The truffles are carefully handpicked to ensure the highest quality. The truffles are then mixed with salt to add more flavor, before being ground together with almond into a fine, thick butter paste.
Each 12 ounce jar contains the creamiest, tastiest truffle almond butter around. You can use it on bread to make a tasty sandwich. Or you can even take a spoon and dive in. The entire process is done naturally. No additives and chemicals were used in the process. You might see an oily top layer upon opening the jar, because the oil has separated from the creamy almond butter. This is normal - just stir it with a knife or spoon to mix the oil back in.
Perfect For: Everybody, from professional cooks to average housewives. Everybody deserves to have a taste of this.
15. GUARANTEED FRESH! Truffle Pearls Caviar
Description: Made from the finest black winter truffles, these truffle pearls caviar can be used in lieu of traditional caviar choices to bring new life in your culinary creations. The truffles are soaked in a solution to create “truffle juice”. The juice undergoes a special process called sferification, which condenses the juice into pearl caviar. It tastes just like truffles, but its texture and feel are similar to those of the finest black caviar.
Each 4 ounce jar contains high quality truffle pearls caviar The caviar needs to be refrigerated after you open it for the first time. The caviar can be used in soups, risottos and sauces, and it can also be used as side dishes similar to traditional caviar.
Perfect For: Commercial and Luxury Cuisine chefs who want to create a new spin to their dishes.
Tips and Tricks
Purchasing truffles online is still a risky business no matter what. To help you along with your truffle purchase experience, here are some tricks and tips you can follow:
- It’s better to go to website with a feedback system like eBay and Amazon. With sites like that, you can actually check out user reviews and testimonies. These reviews will give you important information not only about the product itself, but the way the seller of the product handles everything.
- If you can, search for legitimate exporters of black tuffles from their native area, like France or Italy. Buying your truffles straight from the people who grow them can guarantee their freshness and quality. Plus the more middlemen that the truffles have to go through, the higher their price gets.
- If you don’t have any other choice but to buy truffles from a distributor, do your research on the individual first. If there’s a seller close to your area, go see the seller personally so you can check out the truffles with your own eyes.
- Guarantees like money-back guarantees and delivery insurance can act as additional security nets to ensure that your truffles get to you safe in sound and in top condition.
Conclusion
So there you have it, all the basics that can get you started on your truffle hunting. We gave you some basic information about black truffles and gave tips on where to buy black truffle products and what steps to take to ensure a secure and safe purchase. We even gave you some of the more popular black truffle products on Amazon in hopes that you’ll find what you’re looking for.
Whether you’re a professional chef or a recreational cook, you can now procure black truffles easily through the help of the Internet. Now that black truffles are more affordable, thanks to preservation techniques, and more accessible thanks to the Internet, there’s no reason why you should take your cooking to the next level. Be the envy of your friends and family for your amazing culinary skills, all because of your secret ingredient, the ever enigmatic black truffle.