Truffle

A truffle is the fruiting body of a subterranean ascomycete fungus, one of the species of the genus Tuber. More than one hundred other genera of fungi are classified as truffles including Geopora, Peziza, Choiromyces, and Leucangium.[1] These genera belong to the class Pezizomycetes and the Pezizales order. Several truffle-like basidiomycetes are excluded from Pezizales, including Rhizopogon and Glomus. Truffles are ectomycorrhizal fungi, so they are found in close association with tree roots. Spore dispersal is accomplished through fungivores, animals that eat fungi.[2] These fungi have ecological roles in nutrient cycling and drought tolerance.[3] Some truffle species are prized as food.[4] Edible truffles are used in Italian, French[5] and other national hautes cuisines. Truffles are cultivated and harvested from natural environments. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle

• In Italy, the use of pigs to hunt truffles has been prohibited since 1985 because of damage caused by animals to truffle mycelia during the digging that dropped the production rate of the area for some years. An alternative to truffle pigs are dogs. Dogs offer an advantage because they do not have a strong desire to eat truffles, so they can be trained to locate sporocarps without digging them up. Pigs attempt to dig up truffles.
• Truffle oil is used as a lower-cost and convenient substitute for truffles, to provide flavouring, or to enhance the flavour and aroma of truffles in cooking. Some products called "truffle oils" contain no truffles or include pieces of inexpensive, unprized truffle varietals, which have no culinary value, simply for show.[86] The vast majority is oil that has been artificially flavoured using a synthetic agent such as 2,4-dithiapentane.
• Because more aromatic molecules in truffles are soluble in alcohol, they can carry a more complex and accurate truffle flavour than oil without synthetic flavourings (truffle vodka). Many commercial producers use 2,4-dithiapentane regardless, as it has become the dominant flavour most consumers, unexposed to fresh truffles but familiar with oils, associate with them. Because most Western nations do not have ingredient labelling requirements for spirits, consumers often do not know if artificial flavourings have been used.[87] It is used as a spirit in its own right, a cocktail mix or a food flavouring.

A chocolate truffle is a French chocolate confectionery[1] traditionally made with a chocolate ganache center and coated in cocoa powder, coconut, or chopped nuts. A chocolate truffle is handrolled into a spherical or ball shape.[2] The name derives from the chocolate truffle's similarity in appearance to truffles, a tuber fungus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolate_truffle