The Ultimate Guide to Truffles: How to Find, Cook, and Clean Them

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Harvest delicious truffles growing in your neck of the woods
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Truffles are rare, edible fungi that grow underground and have a distinct smell and taste that’s highly desired in the culinary world. While the most desirable truffles are most commonly found in the American Pacific Northwest, France, and Italy, wild truffles can be found all over the world. Whether you’re a chef in need of fantastic flavor or someone who wants to make extra money, we’ll tell you how to look for truffles, store them, sell them, and cook with them.

Where to Look for Truffles

Look in moist, warm forests 10 to 14 days after heavy rainfall. Search underneath beech, fir, oak, pine, hazelnut, hickory, birch, and eucalyptus trees for bare patches of dirt. Once you spot a darkened patch of soil, gently dig in the area with a trowel or hand rake to see if there are truffles underneath.

Section 1 of 7:

Where do truffles grow?

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  1. Truffles are found underground in moist, warm forests. While you may be lucky to find black, burgundy, or white truffles in other areas, you’re more likely to find them in Italy, France, Oregon, and Washington. [1]
    • However, countries like Chile, Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand have cultivated truffles on farms or orchards. [2] There are also truffle orchards in states like Missouri. [3]
    • Thousands of truffle species can be found throughout the world. Although no truffles are toxic, only a few are coveted for their strong flavor and aroma. [4]
    • The French black (Tuber melanosporum) and Italian white (Tuber magnatum) truffles are the most famous and expensive truffles. [5]
    • There are also native truffles that grow all over the world and are desired for their culinary qualities, like pecan truffles in North America. [6]
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Section 2 of 7:

Searching for Truffles in Your Area

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  1. Truffles thrive in moist soil, so hunt where the ground is often damp, just after there’s been a lot of rainy weather. For best results, search 10 to 14 days after a heavy rainfall has taken place. [7]
    • In the American midwest, truffles ripen from August to November. [8] Research the truffles most commonly found in your area to find out what seasons are best to start hunting.
  2. Trees that form ectomycorrhizal (symbiotic) relationships with fungi, such as beech, fir, and oak trees, must be present in order for truffles to grow because truffles attach to tree roots. [9] Pine, hazelnut, hickory, birch, and eucalyptus trees might also have truffles near them. [10]
    • Truffles share resources with these kinds of trees—truffles absorb water and nutrients that trees need, and trees have photosynthesizing leaves that make the food that truffles need. [11]
    • The kind of tree species truffles grow on depends on your area. In Oregon, they’re almost always found under Douglas fir trees. [12]
  3. As you hunt, look carefully at the ground to see if there are any trees without vegetation growing underneath them. [13] If truffles are present, a “brûlée” effect may make the ground look burnt, rough, and darker than surrounding areas because their existence prevents vegetation from growing. [14]
    • When you find these “brûlée” areas, start carefully digging in the dirt with a trowel or hand rake to find truffles.
    • Because tree roots can grow throughout a forest, truffles can be anywhere. While you hunt, look near rotting logs, abandoned roads, and in loose or compacted soil. [15]
  4. Look very carefully at the “brûlée” areas for small holes. This is a sign that rodents and other small mammals have been looking for the truffles. [16] Seeing a lot of these may mean that rodents smelled the truffles’ strong aroma and began digging to find and eat them.
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Section 3 of 7:

Identifying Truffles

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  1. There are thousands of different types of truffles that vary in size, but they’re most commonly black, white, or burgundy in color. You’ll know you’ve found a truffle when you find a lump underneath the ground that looks like a potato or chocolate truffle. [17]
    • Try to avoid eating a wild truffle or mushroom unless you or someone else has completely identified it. If you’re not sure what it is, wait to eat it until you do. [18]
    Gareth Renowden, Premier Truffle Grower

    Many people are surprised to learn that truffles can be found growing wild, as their spore-laden fruit forms below the ground rather than above.

Section 4 of 7:

Harvesting Truffles

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  1. When you’ve found an area that you think may contain truffles, use a rake with 3 to 5 tines to gently peel back the layers of soil. Most truffles will be 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 cm) deep. After raking, cover the soil back up to protect the roots of the tree and ensure there will be truffles there next season. [19]
    • Raking is the best way to hunt for truffles without a truffle dog or pig to help sniff them out. However, this method can pull up unripe or rotten truffles along with mature ones. [20]
  2. Dogs can be a major asset because they only seek out ripe truffles and won’t dig up rotten or inedible truffles. To train your own truffle dog, pair the scent of truffles with a treat. Once they associate truffles with a reward, hide ripe truffles in containers and bury them under trees for your dog to find. [21]
    • Truffle training is best for puppies or young dogs, and some breeds are better at finding them than others. Lagotto Romagnolo dogs are especially skilled at truffle-hunting. [22]
    • Pigs are also good at finding truffles, but they’re much more difficult to train and they often eat the truffles. [23]
  3. In the more popular searching areas in Italy or France, people dig all day every day hoping to find valuable truffles. If you want to search in one of these areas, consider searching during the night so that no one will be in your way. Simply put on an LED headlamp and get digging. [24]
    • If you take a truffle dog with you, make sure to attach an LED light to their collar.
  4. Mature truffles have a strong aroma and feel slightly spongy while rotting truffles are wet on the surface, feel very spongy, and may have a decaying smell. [25] When you find a truffle patch, try to only scoop up mature truffles that are ready to eat. [26]
    • Although truffles are non-toxic, they can make you sick if you eat bacteria or mold growing on them. If truffles are slimy, sticky, mushy, or smell bad, put them back in the ground.
    • Some underground mushrooms, like Scleroderma truffles, are false truffles that are poisonous. [27] If you open a truffle and it has a powdery spore inside, leave it on the ground. [28]
  5. Truffle patches keep producing fungi for a few years. Write down the GPS coordinates of the patch and what kind of truffles you found there so you can come back after the next rainfall. [29]
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Section 5 of 7:

Cleaning and Storing Your Truffles

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  1. As soon as you find a truffle, use an old toothbrush or mushroom brush to gently clean the dirt off the surface. [30] Put truffles in wax, cloth, or paper bags inside a cooler. When you get home, put them in an air-tight container with paper towels in the fridge. [31]
    • Most truffles will keep in the fridge for 10 days. White truffles last for around 5 days, while black truffles can stay ripe for about a week. [32]
    • Make sure the container has more air than truffles inside, and that no truffles touch each other. Replace the paper towels every 2 days.
    • Try to avoid storing truffles in plastic bags. This can cause them to rot, get slimy, or mold. [33]
    • Because washing truffles can decrease their shelf life, it’s best not to wash them until you’re ready to use them or freeze them. [34]
  2. To preserve your truffles for longer than about 10 days, wipe them with a damp brush or cloth and dry them with a cloth or paper towel. Put them in air-tight containers in the freezer. [35] Truffles will stay good for up to 6 months if kept frozen. [36]
    • When you’re ready to cook and eat them, cook them while they’re still frozen instead of thawing them out first.
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Section 6 of 7:

Selling Truffles

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  1. Truffles are a popular culinary delicacy that is highly demanded and desired in expensive, upscale restaurants. Immediately after you find truffles, email or call restaurants in nearby cities to see if the chefs are interested in purchasing yours. [37]
    • The price of fresh truffles depends on the supply and demand, the species of truffle, and their quality. [38]
    • Italian White Alba truffles are the most expensive in the world and can be worth thousands of dollars a kilogram (2.2 lbs). [39]
    • Truffles are valuable because they’re seasonal, difficult to grow or find consistently, and take years to cultivate on farms. [40]
Section 7 of 7:

Cooking with Truffles

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  1. Truffles are best consumed in small doses, like a condiment. Thinly shave or grate your truffles over a finished meal. [41] You can also capture the truffle’s aroma by cooking the shavings in a fatty substance like butter, cream, cheese, egg yolks, or oil. [42]
    • White truffles have a delicate nutty flavor with hints of garlic, while black truffles are earthier and take like dark cocoa or licorice. [43]
    • Oregon truffles taste musty, like black olives or cocoa, and have a tropical undertone of banana or pineapple, which makes them great in desserts. [44]
    • Have your truffles identified by an expert before eating them.
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Community Q&A

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  • Question
    Can I find truffles in Northern Texas?
    Chris
    Top Answerer
    Yes, a variety of truffle known as the pecan truffle can be found in parts of the southern United States, including Texas. These mushrooms are known to grow at the base of pecan trees, hence their name. There are three species of pecan truffle, and all of them taste quite different than the renowned white or black truffle.
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  • Question
    Is it legal for me to search in the woods for truffles?
    Chris
    Top Answerer
    Yes, it is perfectly legal in woods, so long as you are not trespassing on private property. It is also illegal to search for truffles in state or national parks.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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  • Question
    What kind of dog should I get to help me find truffles?
    Linnie
    Top Answerer
    The lagotto romagnolo is known for being a great truffle-hunting dog. Other breeds that can be trained to find truffles include the springer spaniel, Belgian malinois, poodle, and several hound breeds.
    Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
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      References

      1. ↑ https://www.usu.edu/herbarium/education/fun-facts-about-fungi/gold-in-the-soil
      2. ↑ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-truffles-took-root-around-the-world-180981011/
      3. ↑ https://extension.missouri.edu/media/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/Pub/pdf/agguides/agroforestry/af1015.pdf
      4. ↑ https://knowyourforest.org/sites/default/files/documents/Oregon_Native_Truffles.pdf
      5. ↑ https://knowyourforest.org/sites/default/files/documents/Oregon_Native_Truffles.pdf
      6. ↑ https://www.noble.org/regenerative-agriculture/add-income-with-pecan-truffles/
      7. ↑ https://youtu.be/oyXFVCOrOf8?t=40
      8. ↑ https://midwestmycology.org/tuber-canaliculatum/
      9. ↑ https://youtu.be/oyXFVCOrOf8?t=32
      1. ↑ https://www.usu.edu/herbarium/education/fun-facts-about-fungi/gold-in-the-soil
      2. ↑ https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Plants-and-Fungi/Truffles
      3. ↑ https://www.eatingwell.com/longform/7908898/oregon-truffles/
      4. ↑ https://academic.oup.com/femsec/article/80/1/1/600773?login=false
      5. ↑ https://www.susanalexander-truffles.com/truffle-hunting-where-to-start/
      6. ↑ https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/em-9369-oregon-native-edible-truffles
      7. ↑ https://www.portraitmagazine.com/hunting-for-oregon-truffles
      8. ↑ https://knowyourforest.org/sites/default/files/documents/Oregon_Native_Truffles.pdf
      9. ↑ https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/em-9369-oregon-native-edible-truffles
      10. ↑ https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/em-9369-oregon-native-edible-truffles
      11. ↑ https://www.eatingwell.com/longform/7908898/oregon-truffles/
      12. ↑ https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/truffle-hunting-dogs-track-underground-treasure/
      13. ↑ https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/training/truffle-hunting-dogs-track-underground-treasure/
      14. ↑ http://www.natruffling.org/faq.htm
      15. ↑ https://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/18/magazine/how-to-find-truffles.html
      16. ↑ https://knowyourforest.org/sites/default/files/documents/Oregon_Native_Truffles.pdf
      17. ↑ https://midwestmycology.org/tuber-canaliculatum/
      18. ↑ https://explore.beatymuseum.ubc.ca/mushroomsup/S_bovista.html
      19. ↑ https://midwestmycology.org/tuber-canaliculatum/
      20. ↑ https://midwestmycology.org/tuber-canaliculatum/
      21. ↑ https://midwestmycology.org/tuber-canaliculatum/
      22. ↑ https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/em-9369-oregon-native-edible-truffles
      23. ↑ https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/from-the-market-truffles
      24. ↑ https://www.usu.edu/herbarium/education/fun-facts-about-fungi/gold-in-the-soil
      25. ↑ https://knowyourforest.org/sites/default/files/documents/Oregon_Native_Truffles.pdf
      26. ↑ https://midwestmycology.org/tuber-canaliculatum/
      27. ↑ https://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/article/from-the-market-truffles
      28. ↑ https://munchies.vice.com/en_us/article/jpa3yb/i-sold-culinary-crack-to-michelin-starred-chefs
      29. ↑ https://hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu/truffle-price
      30. ↑ https://www.businessinsider.com/italian-white-truffles-are-the-world-most-expensive-truffles-alba-2022-1
      31. ↑ https://hospitalityinsights.ehl.edu/truffle-price
      32. ↑ https://www.foodandwine.com/what-are-truffles-and-how-to-cook-with-them-7089724
      33. ↑ https://extension.missouri.edu/media/wysiwyg/Extensiondata/Pub/pdf/agguides/agroforestry/af1015.pdf
      34. ↑ https://www.foodandwine.com/what-are-truffles-and-how-to-cook-with-them-7089724
      35. ↑ https://www.eatingwell.com/longform/7908898/oregon-truffles/

      About This Article

      Article Summary X

      To find truffles, search in western Europe or the Pacific Northwest, which is where they grow. They thrive in moist soil, so it's best to search for them 10-14 days after a heavy rainfall. Look for browning dirt and tiny holes at the bases of beech, fir, and oak trees, then use a rake to dig in locations that look promising. Ripe truffles might be black, white, or burgundy in color and they resemble tiny potatoes. To increase your chances of finding truffles, have your dog trained by a professional to sniff them out. To learn how to clean and store the truffles you find, keep reading the article!

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