Madeira Wines; Its History, Terroir and Production.

I'd like to take a look at a wine that is oft-overlooked. Madeira. This is a wine most misunderstood. Unfortunately, until recently, the American view of this type of wine has been a bit skewed by the cheaper versions, sometimes seasoned with salt or pepper and used for cooking. This is a wonderful wine that can be enjoyed as a dry aperitif or a sweet dessert wine. It is also a Protected Designation of Origin wine. As usual, I will explore the the wine, history, terroir and production in order to give you the comprehensive scoop.

Most would be surprised to learn that Madeira is one of the few wines on the market today that is 'cooked' to temperatures as high as 140°F for an extended period of time and is deliberately exposed to some levels of oxidation prior to being bottled. Its lifespan is quite long and even after you open a bottle, its shelf life can be a considerable amount of time. Exposure to extreme temperature and oxygen accounts for its stability; an opened bottle of Madeira will survive unharmed for up to a year. If left in the bottle unopened, Madeira is one of the longest lasting wines, known to survive over 150 years in excellent condition. Upon a 150 yr old bottle's opening, I imagine it would go something like, "Here, you try it." "Oh no no no, you try it first, I insist."

The islands of Madeira have a long wine-making history, when Madeira was a standard port of call for ships heading to the New World or East Indies. The Dutch East India Company became a regular customer, picking up large 112 gal casks of wine known as pipes for their voyages to India. To prevent the wine from spoiling, neutral grape spirits were added. On the long sea voyages, the wines would be exposed to excessive heat and movement which transformed the flavor of the wine, as the wine producers of Madeira found out, when an unsold shipment of wine returned to the islands after a round trip. The intense heat and constant movement of the ships had a transforming effect on the wine, and it was found that the customers preferred the taste of this style of wine and Madeira labeled as vinho da roda (wines that have made a round trip) became very popular.

Estufagem ...what makes Madeira so unique..

Immediately, producers found that aging the wine on long sea voyages was very costly and began to develop methods on the island to produce the same aged and heated style. They began storing the wines on trestles at the winery or in special rooms known as estufas where the heat of island sun would age the wine. The estufagem aging process duplicates the effect of a long sea voyage of the aging barrels through tropical climates. There are three main methods used to heat age the wine, according to the quality and cost of the finished wine.

The most common, (Cuba de Calor) used for low cost Madeira, is bulk aging in low stainless steel or concrete tanks surrounded by either heat coils or piping that allows hot water to circulate around the container. The wine is heated to temperatures as high as 130 °F for a minimum of 90 days as regulated by the Madeira Wine Institute.

The second method (Armazem de Calor) only used by the Madeira Wine Institute, involves storing the wine in large wooden casks in a specially designed room outfitted with steam producing tanks or pipes that heat the room, creating a type of sauna. This process more gently exposes the wine to heat and can last from six months to over a year.

The third method (Canteiro) is used for the highest quality Madeiras aged without the use of any artificial heat, being stored by the winery in warm rooms left to age by the heat of the sun. In cases like vintage Madeira, this heating process can last from 20 years to 100 years. Much of the characteristic flavor of Madeira is due to this practice, which hastens the mellowing of the wine and also tends to check secondary fermentation in as much as it is, in effect, a mild kind of pasteurization.
Furthermore, the wine is deliberately exposed to air, causing it to oxidize, with the results giving the wine a color similar to a tawny port. Colorings such as caramel coloring have been used in the past to give some consistency although this practice is decreasing. Wine tasters sometimes describe an oxidized wine as being maderized.

The initial wine-making steps of Madeira start out like most other wines with the grapes being harvested, crushed, pressed and then fermented in either stainless steel or oak cask. The grape varieties destined for sweeter wines, Boal and Malvasia, are often fermented with their skins to leach more phenols from the grapes to balance the sweetness of the wine. The more dry wines made from Sercial, Verdelho and Tinta Negra Mole are separated from their skins prior to fermentation. Depending on the level of sweetness desired, fermentation of the wine is halted at some point by the addition of neutral grape spirits, known as fortification. Producers of cheaper Madeira will usually ferment the wine completely dry, regardless of grape variety, and then fortify the wine so as not to lose any alcohol due to evaporation during the estufagem aging. The wines are then artificially sweetened and colored.

The Grapes

• Sercial is nearly fermented completely dry with very little residual sugar (0.5 to 1.5° on the Baumé scale). This style of wine is characterized with high-toned colors, almond flavors and high acidity.
• Verdelho has its fermentation halted a little earlier than Sercial when its sugars are between 1.5 to 2.5
• Baumé This style of wine is characterized by smokey notes and high acidity. it has a dark color, medium rich texture with raisin flavors.
• Boal has its fermentation halted when its sugars are between 2.5 to 3.5°
• Malmsey (Malvasia) has its fermentation halted when its sugars are between 3.5 to 6.5° Baumé. This style of wine is characterized by its dark color, rich texture with coffee-caramel flavors. Like other Madeiras made from the noble grape varieties, the Malvasia grape used in Malmsey production has naturally high levels of acidity in the wine which balances with the high sugar levels so that the wines do not taste cloying sweet.

Regulations enacted recently by the European Union have applied the rule that 85% of the grapes in the wine must be of the variety on the label. Thus, wines from before the late 19th century (pre-phlloxera) and after the late 20th century conform to this rule. Other "varietally-labeled" Madeiras, from most of the 20th century, do not. Modern Madeiras which do not carry a varietal label are generally made from Tinta Negra Mole.

History

John Hancock

By the 16th century, records indicate that a well-established wine industry on the island was able to supply ships with wine for the long voyages across the sea. The earliest examples of Madeira, like Port, were unfortified and had the habit of spoiling at sea. Following the example of Port, a small amount of distilled alcohol made from cane sugar was added to stabilize the wine by boosting the alcohol content. Today, a good percentage of Madeira is 'fortified using brandy.

Madeira was an important wine in the history of the United States of America. No wine quality grapes could be grown among the thirteen colonies so imports were needed with a great focus on Madeira. One of the major events on the road to revolution in which Madeira played a key role was the British seizure of John Hancock’s sloop the Liberty on May 9, 1768. Hancock's boat was seized after he had unloaded a cargo of 25 pipes (3,150 gallons) of Madeira and a dispute over import duties arose. The seizure of the Liberty caused riots to erupt among the people of Boston.

USS Constitution

Madeira was also a favorite of Thomas Jefferson, and it was used to toast the Declaration of Independence. George Washington, Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin are also said to have appreciated the qualities of Madeira. John Adams wrote to his wife, Abigail, of the great quantities of Madeira he consumed while a Massachusetts delegate to the Continental Congress. Chief Justice John Marshall was also known to appreciate Madeira, as were his cohorts on the U.S. Supreme Court at the time. A bottle of Madeira was also used by visiting Captain James Server to christen in 1797.

 The Islands of Madeira

Madeira is a Portuguese archipelago that lies in the north Atlantic Ocean. It is one of the autonomous regions of Portugal, with Madeira Island and Porto Santo Island being the only inhabited islands. Madeira is part of the EU as an outermost region of the European Union.
Madeira was discovered by Portuguese sailors some time between 1418 and 1420. The archipelago is considered to be the first discovery of the exploratory period initiated by Henry the Navigator of Portugal. It is a popular year-round resort, noted for its Madeira wine, flowers, and embroidery artisans, as well as its New Year's Eve celebrations that feature a spectacular fireworks show, which is the largest in the world according to the Guinness World Records. Its harbor, Funchal, is important due to its commercial and passenger traffic and for being a major stopover for cruisers en route from Europe to the Caribbean.

Pliny( there he is again) mentions certain Purple Islands, the position of which with reference to the Fortunate Islands, or Canaries, may indicate Madeira islands. Plutarch (Sertorius, 75 AD) referring to the military commander Quintus Sertorius (d. 72 BC), relates that after his return to Cádiz, "he met seamen recently arrived from Atlantic islands, two in number, divided from one another only by a narrow channel and distant from the coast of Africa 10,000 furlongs. They are called Isles of the Blest." The estimated distance from Africa, and the closeness of the two islands, seem to indicate Madeira and Porto Santo.

There is a romantic tale about two lovers, Robert Machim and Anna d'Arfet in time of the King Edward III of England, who, fleeing from England to France in 1346, were driven off their course by a violent storm, and cast onto the coast of Madeira at the place subsequently named Machico, in memory of one of them. On the evidence of a portolan dated 1351, preserved at Florence, Italy, it would appear that Madeira had been discovered long before that date by Portuguese vessels under Genoese captains.

The three captain-majors had led, in the first trip, their respective families, a small group of people of the minor nobility, people of modest conditions and some old prisoners of the kingdom. To gain the minimum conditions for the development of agriculture, they had to rough-hew a part of the dense forest of laurisilva and to construct a large number of canals (levadas), since in some parts of the island, there was excess water, while in other parts water was scarce. In the earliest times, fish constituted about half of the settlers' diet, together with vegetables and fruit. The first local agricultural activity with some success was the raising of wheat. Initially, the colonists produced wheat for their own sustenance, but later began to export wheat to Portugal.

Geography and Climate

Madeira island is 323.11 miles from the African coast and 621.37 miles from the European continent, which is the equivalent of a 1 hour 30 minute flight from Lisbon.

Madeira Island is the largest island of the group with an area of 286 sq mi, a length of 35 miles, a breadth of 14 miles at its widest point, and a coastline of (93.21 miles). Its longer axis lies east and west, along which lies a mountain chain with a mean altitude of 4,000 feet considered the backbone of the island from which many deep ravines radiate outward to the coast. Its most famous sea cliff, the Cabo Girão, is one of the highest in Europe. The highest point on the island is Pico Ruivo, at 6,107 ft.
A long, narrow, and comparatively low rocky promontory forms the eastern extremity of the island, on which lies a tract of calcareous sand known as the Fossil Bed. It contains land shells and numerous bodies resembling the roots of trees, probably produced by infiltration.

Madeira Island's geographical position and mountainous landscape result in a very pleasant climate which varies between the north side, south side, and smaller islands groups like Porto Santo and Savages. The mean annual temperature on the coastline can reach more than 20 °C (68 °F) in the south. With its mild humidity, the weather of the island is classified as oceanic subtropical and with its low rain level, desertic on the Savages. Influenced by the Gulf Stream, sea water temperature varies between 79 °F during the summer and 63 °F in the winter.

My Recommended Madiera
Brought to you by Broadbent Selections which offers many many varieties of wine from all over the world. Michael & Bartholomew are two of the world's foremost experts in Port & Madeira, so these selections were a no brainier. When speaking with Bartholomew, he pointed out that they have paid very close attention to price-point, with most of their selections available at less than $50.00US. All can be purchased from Broadbent's website (see link above).

Broadbent Rainwater (Medium Dry) $16.95

Aged in oak casks for at least 3 years. Esteemed for its concentrated aroma and subtle flavor, it can be served as an apéritif or as an after dinner drink. Clear dark reddish-copper in color, it breathes classic and very appealing Madeira scents of dried dates and figs and mixed nuts. Smooth and gently sweet, it's not a "sticky" dessert wine but shows good fresh-fruit sweetness built on Madeira's sturdy core of tart, lemony acidity. Specifics

Broadbent 10 Year Old Malmsey (Sweet) $48.95

Aged in oak casks for at least 10 years. A superb, full-bodied, wonderfully rich Madeira with a sweet, rich chocolaty flavor and a concentrated bouquet. Best enjoyed with desserts, or on its own after a meal. Specifics.

Well there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this article as much as I did writing it. As always, we encourage you to please drink responsibly.

Bon Appetit!

Lou
Sources: media-cdn.tripadvisor.com, destination360.com, wikipedia.org, Broadbent Selections, www.visitportugal.com

Grand Marnier® What is it? Why is it so good & can I please get a copy of that recipe...?

My love affair with Grand Marnier is totally my mom's fault. As a kid, every Easter I waited for her Grand Marnier Sauce, to pour over the sliced strawberries after dinner. That was my yearly chance to have some Grand Marnier. So good is it, and so simple to make, I just have to share it with all of you so I've included the recipe here for you to make for yourself and decide. I guarantee once you pour this heavenly concoction over any type fruit, your world will be transformed as you know it. Ok, well that may be a bit melodramatic, but you will really enjoy this recipe, I promise. That said, let's explore Grand Marnier.

Curaçao oranges

So what is it?
Grand Marnier is a triple sec liqueur invented in 1880 and still produced by the same family in France, the Marnier-Lapostolles. To define triple sec liqueurs: Triple sec is a liqueur made from the dried peels of Curaçao oranges. The term “triple sec” is used to describe any generic beverage made from Curaçao oranges, and technically, specialty beverages like Cointreau, Curaçao and Grand Marnier.

Without a doubt, the most popular of these is Grand Marnier, created by Louis Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle. Oranges at the time were a rare and exotic fruit, and by blending them with high-quality brandies, Marnier-Lapostolle was able to create an enduring legacy.

Louis-Alexandre Marnier

The History
The Grand Marnier story began in 1827 when Jean-Baptiste Lapostolle founded a distillery in Neauphle-le-Château, France that produced fruit liqueurs. It was in 1876, when his granddaughter married Louis-Alexandre Marnier,  the son of a wine-making family from the Sancerre region that the Marnier Lapostolle family was born. Louis, who had learned the basics of distilling spirits from his father, a wine and spirit merchant, soon took a major role in the distillery.

Chateau de Bourg

After receiving a blended orange cognac from the Cognac region of France, Louis fell in love with the product and decided to produce a similar liqueur of his own. He then moved to the Chateau de Bourg, (below) a 17th century castle in the Cognac region. He used the Citrus Bigaradia oranges from the West Indies and to enhance the aroma, he separated the orange peels and macerated them in neutral alcohol, before subjecting them to a steam distillation process. Grand Marnier still uses the Citrus Bigaradia bitter oranges selected from plantations around tropical regions of the world. The reason for this specific sort is so when the peel is dried, it will still retain a very strong perfume that gives the unique aroma and character to the liqueur.

César Ritz

In 1880, Alexandre's creation, Grand Marnier was introduced in the stylish bottle with the famous red ribbon and seal on the label and just 4 years after the launch, it won the first official prize, the Grand Prix at the international Exposition of Nice. The liqueur was originally named “Curaçao Marnier”, but when Louis had his friend César Ritz (yes, that Ritz) taste his creation, the famed hotelier was so taken with it that he suggested a new name. He is reputed to have said, “Grand Marnier, a grand name for a grand liqueur.

Crêpe Suzette

In the 1900s, the chef, Escoffier, father of modern French cuisine, made the Crêpe Suzette and the Grand Marnier soufflé famous throughout the world. Both desserts were enjoyed by the Prince of Wales, a great fan of the liqueur, and are still considered masterpieces of French cuisine.

In 1927, the Marnier-Lapostelle family released a special cuvée , the Cuvée du Centenair to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the company and its founder Jean-Baptiste Lapostolle in limited quantities. Fifty years later in 1997, Grand Marnier launched the limited edition of 150th anniversary bottle. In 1975 Jacques Marnier-Lapostolle, grandson of Alexandra established a new bottling plant to meet the market demand and today the brand is marketed in over 150 countries. The company boasts that it is the most exported liqueur in France, as well as being France's first exported liqueur as well. It is sold in over 150 countries and used in a wide range of drinks and desserts.

The House of Grand Marnier celebrated the wedding of Prince Charles and Princess Diana on July, 29, 1981, with a special cuvée and a special liqueur was offered as a gift to Queen Elizabeth II in April 2006, on the occasion of her 80th birthday. This unique cuvée, resulting from a blend of very old, rare cognacs and a special twice-distilled orange essence, was presented to Her Royal Highness in a purple bottle, one of her favorite colors.

Grades of Grand Marnier:
The quality of cognac used in Grand Marnier depends on the type of Grand Marnier, and ranges from lower-end cognacs to extremely high-grade 50-year-old cognac.

Cordon Jaune
Cordon Jaune or "Yellow Ribbon" Grand Marnier is scarce in North America. It is only sold in some European countries and at some major international airports. Yellow Label Grand Marnier is generally regarded as being the lowest quality. It is made with neutral grain spirit rather than cognac. It is used for mixed drinks and cooking purposes, such as Crêpes Suzette. It comes from the region of Cognac.

Cordon Rouge

The most common grade of Grand Marnier, and that which most people are acquainted with, is known as Red Label, or Cordon Rouge. Cordon Rouge Grand Marnier is made from cognac, using essentially the same technique as the original Grand Marnier in 1880. Cordon Rouge is often used in cooking, but may also be enjoyed in various mixed drinks or by itself.


Cuvée du Centenair
The next level of Grand Marnier is the Centennial Edition, or Cuvée du Centenaire, which is made using the same technique as the Red Label, but substituting 25-year-old Cognac for the normal Cognac used. Cuvée du Centenaire was first released in limited quantities in 1927 to commemorate the 100th anniversary. It is made with 25-year-old fine cognacs and is consumed neat. It is more expensive, at about $145 USD per bottle.

  

Cuvée Speciale Cent Cinquantenaire

Grand Marnier 150, technically called Cuvée Speciale Cent Cinquantenaire ("Special Sesquicentennial Edition"), is made with 50-year-old cognacs sealed within hand-finished frosted glass bottles featuring hand-painted Art Nouveau decorations. At approximately $220 USD per bottle, it was previously marketed under the slogan "Hard to find, impossible to pronounce, and prohibitively expensive."

Cuvée Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostoll

Cuvée Louis-Alexandre Marnier-Lapostolle is a special selection of cognacs taken from the best known districts (Grande Champagne, Petite Champagne, Borderies, Fins Bois and Bons Bois) and aged at length in oak casks. It is only available in duty-free shops in Canada, Holland and France and liquor stores in Quebec.

Grand Marnier Sauce

Ingredients

5 egg yolks, beaten well
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup Grand Marnier
1 cup whipping cream (whipped, but not too stiff)

Method:

Mix egg yolks and sugar together in a sauce pan. Whip this mixture over low heat until it becomes thick and creamy. Remove the sauce from the heat and pour into a to a large chilled, bowl, (I have a large bowl ready, sitting in ice water) Add the liqueur slowly and blend. Begin folding the whipped cream to the mixture very slowly and gently until it is completely incorporated. Chill well before serving.

Bon Appetit!

Lou

Sources: www.grandmarnier.com

Truffles; 'Diamonds of the Kitchen.'

Truffles~Talk to any true gourmet or food lover and most will say that truffles are the most glorious thing to come from the ground of planet earth and I would be hard pressed to disagree. Brillat-Savarin referred to them as the 'Diamonds of the Kitchen.' They are the one most decadent of ingredients a chef can use when cooking and per pound, are arguably  one of the most expensive as well. I will openly admit, I am obsessed. I can eat truffle with anything, on anything and in anything. And I mean anything. I have an awesome recipe for Champagne/Truffle Mac 'n' Cheese that I think you will enjoy. It uses White Truffle Oil, but by all means, if you have truffle in the house, shave some on top to make the dish that much more special.

To enjoy the most wonderful aspects of truffles, you must eat fresh, uncooked specimens shortly after they have been harvested. The strength of the truffle flavor decreases rapidly with time, and much of it is lost before some truffles ever reach the market. However lovers of these earthly gems, freshly harvested truffles can be purchased in advance from most gourmet specialty stores and if you are friends with a chef, some will order them for you if you ask nicely. Wholesalers cover them with rice on restaurant serving trays in a refrigerated room as soon as they arrive. The next day they are delivered to the store where your order was placed. When you spend as much money as will be needed for such a culinary indulgence, use care to assure that you get truly fresh truffles.

The term "truffle" as commonly used, refers to members of the genera Tuber and Terfezia. Truffles are hypogeous (underground) versions of mushrooms. They don't form a prominent stem and their spore-bearing surfaces are enclosed. They rely on animals eating them (mycophagy) to distribute their spores, instead of air currents like mushrooms. They resemble small potatoes, and often between the size of a marble and a golf ball. There are hundreds of different kinds of truffles and while none are known to be poisonous, only a few of them are considered to be delicacies by humans. Truffles (and mushrooms) are only the "fruit" of the fungus (like an apple to an apple tree); the main perennial fungal body exists as a web of filamentous hyphae in the soil. All of the truffle fungi form mycorrhizae with the roots of trees, and are essential to the trees' ability to acquire nutrients. The below ground fruiting habit of truffles is thought to be an adaptation to forest fires or dry or frosty periods, in which above ground mushrooms are more vulnerable.There are many other kinds of subterranean fungi, "false truffles," which outwardly resemble the ones we eat, and they are actually far more common than the ones collected for food, with some poisonous as well. Truffles are round, warty, and irregular in shape 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 southwest France, used in making pâté de foie gras, or the renowned odorous white truffle (Tuber magnatum) of Alba, in the Piedmont district of Italy. Since the times of the Greeks and Romans these fungi have been used in Europe as delicacies, as aphrodisiacs, and as medicines. They are among the most expensive of the world's natural foods, often commanding as much as $1,950 per pound.

The Tuber magnatum truffles sell between $2,200 and $1,000 US per pound. Giancarlo Zigante (pictured above) and his dog Diana found one of the largest truffles in the world near Buje, Croatia. The truffle weighed 1.31 kilograms (2.9 lb) and has entered the Guinness Book of Records.

The record price paid for a single white truffle was set in December 2007, when Macau casino owner Stanley Ho paid US $330,000 (£165,000) for a specimen weighing 1.5 kilograms (3.3 lb), discovered by Luciano Savini and his dog Rocco. One of the largest truffles found in decades, it was unearthed near Pisa and sold at an auction held simultaneously in Macau, Hong Kong and Florence.

Truffles have been found in Europe, Asia, North Africa, and North America, but only three species are commercially important. Truffles are harvested with the aid of female pigs or truffle dogs, which are able to detect the strong smell of mature truffles underneath the surface of the ground. The use of pigs is risky, though, because of their natural tendency to eat any remotely edible thing. For this reason, dogs have been trained to dig into the ground wherever they find these odors, and they willingly exchange their truffle for a piece of bread and a pat on the head. Not a bad trade for the truffle hunter! Some truffle merchants dig for their prizes themselves when they see truffle flies hovering around the base of a tree. Once discovered, truffles can be collected in subsequent years at the same site.

So what does a truffle taste like?

The flavor of the truffle is directly related to its aroma. The chemicals necessary for the odor to develop are created only after the spores are mature enough for release, so they must be collected at the proper time or they will have little taste. This is the only sure indication that the mushrooms are ready to be harvested. This is the very reason why animals have proven to be the best means of assuring that the fungi collected will be flavorful.

Gaining in popularity and comparing favorably with the Italian truffle, the Oregon truffle is harvested in sufficient quantity to support commercial sales. Although the Oregon truffle industry is in its infancy, it commands as much as $150 per pound for its truffles. James Beard claimed that the mature Oregon white truffle could be substituted for European varieties.

Originally found in California, the Oregon truffle grows in association with Douglas fir trees and is a major food source for many small rodents and other mammals. These underground fungi depend on animals to remove them from below the surface of the earth and to disperse the spores that result in the continuation of their species. Here is an example of complex ecology in which the tree, the fungus, and the animal depend on each other.

Cooking with truffles

Truffle oil is a modern culinary ingredient added to foods, which is intended to impart the flavor and aroma of truffles to a dish. Most truffle oils are not, in fact, made from actual truffles, but are instead a synthetic product that combines a thioether, one of numerous organic aromatics odorants found in real truffles, with an olive oil base. A few more expensive oils are alleged to be made from truffles or the by-products of truffle harvesting and production, though the flavor of truffles is difficult to capture in an oil.

Truffle oil, available in all seasons and steady in price, is popular with chefs (and diners) because it is significantly less expensive than actual truffles, while possessing some of the same flavors and aroma. The emergence and growth of truffle oil has led to an increase in the availability of foods claiming to be made with or flavored with truffles, in an era when the price of truffles has pushed them out of reach for most chefs/diners.

When using raw truffle
The fungus is scraped or grated onto food and into sauces and soups just before eating. Truffle slicers have been specially designed for this purpose. Experts recommend that veal, chicken, fish, soufflés, omelets, pasta, and rice can be glorified with thinly sliced truffles. Cream and cheese sauces avidly take up their flavor. Insert thin wedges of truffle under the skin of a chicken and store it overnight in the refrigerator before roasting. A well-known chef prepares a high-quality pâté de foie gras baked with a stainless steel tube running through the center. As soon as the pâté is cooked, he fills the tube with diced uncooked truffles and then removes the tube. Ok, I agree! OMG!

To keep and store truffles

The pungent odor of a truffle will penetrate the shells of eggs and flavor kernels of rice when stored with them in a closed glass jar, placed in a refrigerator. Once the prize truffle has been consumed, the eggs may be enjoyed in an omelet and the rice in pilaf.

Not cleaned to be used immediately:

Gently wash them with water and brush (best if with a vegetable brush, clean toothbrush or nail brush), and lightly pat dry with a paper towel.

Not cleaned, and stored:

Do not wash or brush until the day of use. To delay their ripening wrap in an absorbent paper towel or cloth, and store in the back or vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. Change the paper once a day. Alternatively, store in a jar of rice to absorb moisture and keep dry (plus the rice will absorb the truffle aroma and flavor, and will make a great risotto later).

If Cleaned:

Roll separately in an absorbent paper towel, paper bag, or absorbent cloth. Alternatively, store inside a jar or bag of rice. Change the paper towel every day, to absorb any moisture that may cause rot. Store in the back of the refrigerator or the vegetable drawer. Truffles can be frozen for two weeks in a freezer-proof glass jar. Another recommendation is to store them whole in bland oil.

Types of Truffles

Oregon white truffle (Tuber oregonense and T. gibbosum)
Reasonably common in the Pacific Northwest from the west side of the Cascade Mountains to the coast from British Columbia to northern California. Tuber oregonense is generally found from October through February. Its exterior perideum is whitish when young, developing orangish-brown tints as it matures, and finally becoming orangish-brown overall. By February, most of the Tuber oregonense should be pretty mature and the T. gibbosum will just be getting started.

Oregon brown truffle (Leucangium brunneum)
The Oregon brown truffle was discovered by NATS members in the early 1990's. It grows in younger Douglas-fir forests in the Oregon Coast Range and western foothills of the Cascades. It has a reddish-brown exterior and a greyish mottled interior. When mature the odor can be quite garlicky.

Oregon black truffle (Leucangium carthusianum, formerly Picoa carthusiana)
Less common than Oregon white truffles, Oregon blacks are larger (golf-ball to baseball size), and are often much deeper in the soil than Oregon whites (commonly 4-10" deep). They are very dark inside and out, and have a very pungent, earthy odor when ripe. Some equate the aroma to a strange mix of pineapple, port, mushrooms, rich soil, and chocolate. Looking like irregular lumps of coal, with white-veined flesh, the Oregon black truffle has a texture of moist Parmesan and ground almonds.

Italian white (Piedmont) truffle (Tuber magnatum)
Considered by some (mostly the French) to be second best to the French black truffles, its cost can exceed that of the perigord. It is native to the foothills and mountains of northern and central Italy and southern Yugoslavia. They grow in conjuction with oak, hazel, poplar, and beech trees. The flesh is solid, light-coloured, and very brittle; it is not unheard of for a fresh truffle to shatter if dropped on the floor. Large specimens can weigh as much as a pound, but most are the size of large walnuts. The white truffle is slightly more perishable than its darker cousins, and the flavor and aroma diminishes within a week or two after harvest. The white truffle has a distinctive pepper edge and is often eaten raw. The skin is a dirty beige when fresh, turning a darker brown with age.

Burgundy, or Summer truffle (Tuber aestivum, formerly Tuber uncinatum)
Native to France, Italy, and Spain, the summer truffles are usually at their best in July, but can be found from May to October. They have a black exterior and off-white interior, and a relatively light scent. This truffle has been established on plantations in Sweden and New Zealand.

Tuscan truffle (Tuber borchii, formerly Tuber albidum)
Similar to the Italian white truffle in appearance, having a chestnut to muddy tan exterior and a softish interior equally divided between chocolate brown and white. The flavor can be distinctly garlicky.


Pecan (Texas) truffle (Tuber lyonii, formerly Tuber texense)
Pecan truffles (also called Texas truffles) are found from New Mexico to the gulf coast and eastern seaboard to the great lakes and eastern Canada. It is not limited to areas with pecan trees, but was named based on the habitat in which it was discovered.

Chinese truffles (Tuber sinense, Tuber indicum, and Tuber himalayense)
These are three distinct species found in South China, but pickers tend to lump them together as Chinese truffles. This is unfortunate since the flavor and quality vary from one species to another. First marketed in France in 1994, these truffles are now found in American restaurants at fairly reasonable prices, but their flavor and aroma do not come close to that of the French truffles, perhaps for the same reasons as Oregon white truffles (too many immature specimens). T. indicum is recognizable by its brown interior and very fine white veins. T. sinense has a dark brown interior with large ivory veins, and is said to be chewy and oily with a bitter aftertaste.

Desert truffles (Terfezia boudieri, Terfezia pfielii, Terfezia claveryi, and others)
Native to northern Africa and the Middle East, these truffles have been a staple for many nomadic tribes for millenia. Sometimes called the Lightning Truffle, they often fruit shortly after thunderstorms wet the desert.

Cultivation
For many years, it was thought that truffles were simply to grow wild and man would never be able to tame this tuber. So convinced was Brillat-Savarin that he noted, "The most learned men have sought to ascertain the secret, and fancied they discovered the seed. Their promises, however, were vain, and no planting was ever followed by a harvest. This perhaps is all right, for as one of the great values of truffles is their dearness, perhaps they would be less highly esteemed if they were cheaper." Well much the expert that he was, he was also a bit of skeptic, critic and was known for his sarcastic wit. In this case however, he was to be proved wrong.

As early as 1808, there were successful attempts to cultivate truffles, known in French as trufficulture. People had long observed that truffles were growing among the roots of certain trees, and in 1808, Joseph Talon, from Apt (département of Vaucluse) in southern France, had the idea to sow some acorns collected at the foot of oak trees known to host truffles in their root system.

The experiment was successful: years later, truffles were found in the soil around the newly grown oak trees. In 1847, Auguste Rousseau of Carpentras (in Vaucluse) 17 acres of oak trees (again from acorns found on the soil around truffle-producing oak trees), and he subsequently obtained large harvests of truffles. These successful attempts were met with enthusiasm in southern France, which possessed the sweet limestone soils and dry hot weather that truffles need to grow. He received a prize at the 1855 World's Fair in Paris. In the late 19th century, two unrelated epidemics destroyed much of the vineyards and most of the silkworms in southern France, making the fields of mulberry trees useless. Thus, large tracts of land were set free for the cultivation of truffles. Thousands of truffle-producing trees were planted, and production reached peaks of hundreds of tons at the end of the 19th century. In 1890 there were 190,000 acres of truffle-producing trees.

In the 20th century however, with the growing industrialization of France and the subsequent rural exodus, many of these truffle fields (champs truffiers or truffières) returned to wilderness. The First World War also dealt a serious blow to the French countryside, killing 20% or more of the male working force. As a consequence of these events, newly acquired techniques of trufficulture were lost. Also, between the two world wars, the truffle fields planted in the 19th century stopped being productive. (The average life cycle of a truffle-producing tree is 30 years.) Consequently, after 1945 the production of truffles plummeted, and the prices have risen dramatically. In 1900, truffles were used by most people, and on many occasions. Today, they are a rare delicacy reserved for the rich, or used on very special occasions.

In the last 30 years, new attempts for mass production of truffles have been started. Eighty percent of the truffles now produced in France come from specially planted truffle-fields. Nonetheless, production has yet to recover its 1900s peaks. Local farmers are opposed to a return of mass production, which would decrease the price of truffles. It is estimated that the world market could absorb 50 times more truffles than France currently produces. There are now truffle-growing areas in the United States, Spain, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and the UK.

I hope you have enjoyed this look at the world of truffles. If you are lover of them, then today you have learned a little more about why. If you have never tried them, my suggestion is; the next time you see them on a menu, or on the shelf at your local gourmet food store, take the plunge and try them. I promise you won't be dissapointed. Hey, have I ever steered you wrong yet? Exactly! Viva la truffle!

Bon Appetit, 

Lou

Sources:

www.whatscookingamerica.net,www.telegraph.co.uk,www.clubsauce.com/truffles.html, infovrsar.com/366/de,www.hola.com, www.natruffling.org, www.thedailyv.com, baltimoregon.com,, www.tuscany-charming.it, www.mushroombusiness.nl, www.gourmet-delights.com, http://www.italianvisits.com