The black truffle, also known as Tuber Melanosporum, is a fungus found under the ground (hypogeous), with a blackish or greyish appearance with purplish tones. It has an irregular shape; the skin is very thin and is covered with warts. They measure 3 to 12 cm in diameter and weigh between 20 and 200 grams, although exceptionally they can exceed 600 grams.

Its body is fleshy and compact, initially greyish-violet in colour and, at maturity,
brownish-black with whitish sterile veins, which turn pink in contact with the air.

It has an intense, pungent smell and a pleasant, but slightly bitter taste. Its natural habitat are the forests of southern France, Italy and Spain.
It lives underground, in symbiosis with the roots of holm oaks, oaks and hazelnut trees mainly, although it can also be found around the roots of some pines.

It reproduces in spring, appearing as small balls, which then swell and mature in summer and autumn. Truffles give off allelopathic substances that prevent the growth of weeds around them, and this is sometimes a clue to finding them. It is harvested in winter and the best date is in January (Europe), although the harvesting period starts in December and lasts until March.

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Find out more about the black truffle by clicking here.