Truffles: the Oldest Vegetables

The truffle was once prized for its aphrodisiac capabilities and its sweet smelling aroma. The Romans considered it “the diamond in the art of cookery,” and their gourmet chef Apicius wrote seven different recipes to prepare it. It was once quite prevalent, but today it is difficult to obtain due to extreme demand. Much like the oyster, which was once so easily available that one could snatch some from the sea. 

Roman sources cited Africa, specifically Libya, as the source of the best-tasting truffles in the world. They wrote of serving them in sausage casings. The tuber would be wrapped with a thickened sauce of pepper, wine and honey. They also talked about skinning them, boiling them, and then grilling the truffles on skewers. 

To the Romans, truffles were a mystery. A mushroom had a stalk and roots. They could clearly see that the plant grew from the ground. Truffles appeared to be buried in the earth, with no particular reason for being. 

Though the Middle East and parts of Europe had discovered the joy of the truffle, France was still in the dark. Once they got the truffle in the fourteenth century, they pickled it in vinegar and served it with butter.

Demand for the truffle in France truly increased in the nineteenth century. Even though both Louis XIV and Napoleon Bonaparte had publicly expressed affinity for the truffle. The French call them “mysterious” in their writings, with the Perigord being the most popular.