The 10 Best Truffle Oil Brands for Luxurious Pasta, Polenta, Pizza and More

Whether you want to drizzle on pasta, polenta, pizza or popcorn; truffle oil offers that finishing touch of luxury flavor to all of these and many other foods. Although it would be great to shave fresh white truffle on our pasta dishes, the rarity and cost of fresh truffles means that for most of us, truffle oil most definitely is the next best thing!

Truffle oils are usually available as white or black and both types add a distinctive flavor to foods. In this article, we offer insight into the two different types and we also look at the truffle itself and consider just why they are so expensive to buy. As there can be considerable flavor differences across oils, we also review ten of the best to help you choose the best truffle oil.

Things to Consider Before Buying Truffle Oil

It can be hard to describe the flavor of truffles and although a luxury food, they are certainly not to everybody’s taste. The unique taste often reminds people of very earthy and sometimes musky mushrooms, but with more depth and complexity. Generally, the darker the truffle, the stronger the flavor. Most white truffles have a garlicky aroma and a garlic-pepper taste, while black truffles have a deeper and earthier flavor.

Even the same species of truffle grown in different areas can have a different taste. Add to that the different soils, different host trees and the seasons that the truffles are harvested in and it becomes very easy to see why it is hard to describe the flavor of truffles.

All About Truffles

Although truffles are often referred to as mushrooms and they do belong to the fungi family like mushrooms, they are actually the fruit of fungi or more of a cross between a fungus and a tuber. Truffles can only grow underground within the roots of specific host trees such as hazelnut, oak and beech. They can grow as far as 3 ft under the ground, but never beyond the range of the branches of the tree. This symbiotic relationship allows the truffle to receive sugars from the tree and give phosphorous back to the tree.

Truffles look like lumpy tubers and they usually grow to the length of between one to four inches. There are around 70 species of truffles which are distinguished by the trees with which the truffle grows, the type of soil and the area/country where the truffle grows. Some truffles are harvested in summer while others can be found during winter.

Truffles are difficult to find. Traditionally pigs were used however they would often eat what they found so truffle hunters eventually started training dogs to sniff them out as dogs are much less likely to eat the truffles!

Truffles are also expensive because global demand and environmental changes impact upon their availability. They are also expensive because they can only be found at certain times of the year in certain places and skill is needed to find and then harvest truffles.

Truffles are often harvested at night to help keep the location secret. Once a dog has potentially found a truffle, the harvester or trufolau has to use a long handled narrow spade to dig up the truffle. The soil around the truffle has to be carefully scraped away as if the truffle is touched by hands it will begin to rot.

If the harvester finds that the truffle is not yet ripe, they must carefully rebury it to allow it to ripen for a future harvest.

Italian truffles have been harvested for thousands of years and the tartufo bianco which is the most expensive and rare white truffle is found in Italy’s norther region of Piedmont. Popular French truffles include the Périgord black truffle found in the Dordogne region and the summer black truffles which are more budget-friendly. France is the biggest truffle harvester – producing around 30 tons per year.

Truffles can also be found in some US states as new farmers are turning their hand to cultivating truffles. Growing truffles from seeds or in artificial environments have mostly been less than successful to date; it seems they need to always grow with a host tree.

Best Dishes for White or Black Truffle Oil

Most of the time it is personal preference as to which oil best suits which foods. White truffle oil with its garlicky aroma and flavor suits white meats, shellfish, rabbit and other meats which have a delicate flavor. It is also perfect for drizzling on cream cheese, eggs, pasta, risotto, polenta, salads, pizza crust or even popcorn. You can also use it as a dipping oil with crusty and warmed bread.

Black truffle oil has a stronger and earthier flavor than white truffle oil which suits stronger dishes as well as many of the dishes which pair with white truffle oil. Black truffle goes well with cooked sauces, robust meat dishes, wild mushroom dishes and even salad dressings.

Using Truffle Oil

Whatever type of oil you are using, it should always be used in small amounts. Always drizzle it instead of pouring it as too much truffle oil will easily overwhelm a dish. Most truffle oils are best suited to finishing dishes rather than cooking with and the oil should always be added at the last possible moment before serving to maintain its flavor. It is also best drizzled over dishes which contain some fat such as EVOO, cream or cheese. If too much heat is used with truffle oil it will break down its flavor.

Some truffle oils are made with extra virgin olive oil while others are made with olive oil. As the oil itself has a wide range of flavors depending on where it is produced this can impact upon the flavor of the truffle oil. An EVOO can sometimes be a little strong in truffle oil although it can be selected deliberately to hide any synthetic flavors or aromas added.

Truffle oil should be stored on a cool dark place with its cap tightly sealed to reduce aroma and flavor degradation. Some manufacturers may advise that the oil be refrigerated after opening.

About Truffle Flavoring

Although some truffle oil does contain truffle pieces these are usually for visual appearance rather than flavor. As well as containing natural truffle, truffle oil often contains truffle flavoring, aroma or essence. These are usually synthetic.

Truffle oil is made from 2,4-Dithiapentane, an organic compound which has the same scent as truffles mixed with olive oil. This flavoring often lacks the subtleness of fresh truffle.

Conclusion

Truffles truly are a luxury food and although difficult and expensive to obtain fresh in the US, truffle oil is a great substitute for finishing dishes or in some cases adding to food during cooking. Truffle oils can vary greatly in taste for many reasons, so if you are new to truffle oils, you may want to experiment with different ones until you find the combination of truffle flavor and olive oils that suit your cooking best.

We hope that you have enjoyed our dig into the fascinating world of truffles. We also hope that our reviews of some of the best truffle oil have been helpful to you in selecting the oil which will add some pizzazz to your pizza or raise the grade on your risotto.