I am sitting in our tavern, and on the table in front of me are a few nuggets that we pulled out of the damp soil of the Motovun Forest this morning. That smell is impossible to replace – it is penetrating, earthy and reminiscent of everything that Istria is. My grandmother would always say that the truffle is a living thing: it breathes, changes and, unfortunately, slowly disappears if it is not treated with respect.
At Tartufa Istria, we have been hunting for truffles since the 1950s. We have learned that finding truffles with the help of our faithful dogs is only half the job. The other half is preserving that precious aroma until the moment it touches your warm fuži or pljukanci. Freshness is everything with truffles. Without it, they become just an expensive piece of tuber without a soul.
If you have just bought your first white truffle (Tuber magnatum Pico) or aromatic black truffle, you must be asking yourself: “How can this smell last?” Pour yourself a glass of Malvasia, because I’m going to reveal to you the secrets that our family has kept for generations.
Why does a truffle lose its aroma?
Truffle is made up of about 80% water. The moment our dogs locate it and we carefully remove it from the ground, it begins to lose moisture. With moisture, so does its smell. The white truffle is particularly delicate and is the “king of short-term storage” – it is best to use it within a few days. The black truffle is a bit more robust and can last a little longer, but the rules for preserving it are similar.
Before we get to the tricks, remember one thing: never wash a truffle in advance. Water is enemy number one if you plan to preserve it.
5 tricks for keeping things fresh at home
1. A paper towel is your best friend
When you bring a truffle home, the first thing you should do is wrap it in a clean paper towel. Why? The paper will absorb excess moisture that the truffle releases as it “breathes,” while also preventing it from drying out too quickly.
Pro tip: Change the paper towel every day. If it gets damp, it can encourage mold, which is the last thing you want on your Istrian gold.
2. A glass jar as an airtight keeper
Place the wrapped truffle in a glass jar that can be tightly sealed. This will prevent its intense scent from spreading throughout the refrigerator (although some fans don’t mind, your milk and butter shouldn’t taste like Tuber magnatum). Keep the jar in the bottom of the refrigerator where the temperature is most stable.
3. The rice trick (but be careful!)
Many people recommend storing truffles in uncooked rice. The rice will really absorb the truffle aroma, which is fantastic if you plan on making risotto. However, rice is extremely aggressive in drawing out moisture. If you leave the truffle in the rice for too long (more than a day or two), it will become hard and “woody”.
Our recommendation: Use rice only if you are going to use the truffle the next day.
4. Fragrant eggs – a free gastronomic bonus
This is a favorite trick of the Bartolić family. Put a few fresh eggs in a glass jar with truffles. The eggshell is porous and will naturally absorb the truffle scent. After two days, you will have eggs that smell like the forest, without you having grated a single gram of truffle on them. The perfect breakfast after returning from the hunt!
5. Clean only before eating
The truffle should only be cleaned immediately before consumption. Use a soft brush (a toothbrush will do) and very little cold water just to remove any remaining dirt. Be sure to dry it afterwards. The soil on the truffle actually serves as a natural protective layer while it awaits your imagination in the kitchen.
What if you don’t have time to eat a fresh truffle?
Sometimes it happens that in Truffle Hunting in Istria we are so lucky that the catch exceeds our appetite. If you see that the truffle is getting soft, don’t wait.
Freezing: You can grate it into butter and freeze it as “truffle butter”.
Buying ready-made products: If you don’t want to worry about freshness, our products in the webshop are made according to a traditional recipe and retain their aroma for months.
Truffle hunting in Istria: An experience that precedes every plate
Being a truffle hunter means understanding the cycle of nature. In the Motovun Forest, every season brings something new. In the summer we search for black truffles, while with the first cold days the fever for white truffles begins. Keeping the freshness at home is just the last step in a long story that begins deep in the forest, with the sound of rustling leaves and the excited barking of a dog that has just smelled something big.
We at the Istrian Truffles workshop are proud to share this experience with you. Whether you buy our products or join us in the hunt, we want you to feel the same passion that my grandfather had in the 1950s.
