Truffles

The most famous and aromatic truffles, black winter truffles (Tuber melanosporum), are in season from November to March. The less-flavorful but not-to-be-ignored summer truffle (Tuber aestivum) is in season—as the name implies—during the summer. If you want truffles at any other time, you will have to use truffles that have been preserved in some way. These are pale reflections of the real thing.

While there are many varieties, the most famous are the French black truffe du Périgord and the white Italian truffle (Tuber magnatum).