It is an underground fungus living in symbiosis with the roots of many trees, like cornels, maples, oaks, willows, hazelnut trees, ilex trees, and poplars.
Very rich in water and mineral salts, it can have different sizes: from the size of a walnut to the size of an orange in very rare and lucky cases.
Maturation: from November to March.
Shape: round with black and wrinkled skin.
Interior: black-violaceous color with thin whitish streaks forming a thick grid.
Smell: soft.
Taste: delicate.
Besides the black truffle, also the Black Summer Truffle (Tuber Aestivum, harvested from June to August), the Burgundy Truffle (Tuber Uncinatum, harvested from October to December), and the Spring White Truffle (Tuber Albidum, harvested from January to March) are extracted.
There are specialized centers dealing with the preservation, transformation, and sale of truffles.