The black truffle, specifically tuber melanosporum, It came into our lives because of the French who back in the 50s traveled to Castellón to collect the fungus that the locals were unaware of to the point of describing it as ‘cow poop’. This anecdote told by Alejo Nebot, president of TRUFCAS, is not an isolated event. “It was a dynamic that expanded wild truffle farming, first in Castellón, in the 70s they went up in search of the frozen lands, then virgin, of Teruel and from there, to Cuenca.” For this reason, in 1997 the first associations of truffle growers were created: those of Castellón (Trufcas), those of Soria and those of Teruel.
If 120 tons leave Spain, “Castelló is the second territory (after Teruel) that produces the most black truffle melanosporuman average of between 12 and 15 tons,” argues Alejo. The culture of melanosporum In the northern province of the Valencian Community it is evident in the interior, it is distributed throughout the five regions. Alto Palancia is the most productive and when touring its towns (Barracas, El Toro, Bejís, Pina de Montalgrao, Viver, Villanueva de Viver) we find direct sales signs or shops with truffles. melanosporum fresh, today (price fluctuates depending on the market) at about 900 euros per kilo.
The truffle is a fungus that requires altitude and sudden changes in temperature with a tendency towards freezing to be. The Castellón restaurants that cook it agree in highlighting the strategic location of the mountains: “Each truffle is a story told by the climate, the soil, the time and the hand of the truffle grower and that of Castellón breathes our Mediterranean landscape of calcareous soil” This is how they define it at the El Ring restaurant (Cinctorres, Els Ports). It’s lucky to be near the sea, agrees Alejo de TRUFCAS, at night, the breeze of saline air helps increase the pH of the truffle, which is alkalinea happiness shared by Teruel, Valencia, Castellón and Tarragona.
This product has been very controversial throughout history, he says. TOAngela Milián from the Vinatea de Morella restauranta historic municipality that celebrates its X Morella Negra Gastro-Literary Festival from February 21 to 23, in honor of the truffle. It says that the ancient Egyptians cooked it breaded with fat and in papillote, the Greeks and Romans considered it an aphrodisiac; In the Middle Ages it was considered a manifestation of the devil and was banned, and in the Renaissance it became fashionable again thanks to royal cooks. Vinatea’s chef has decided to eliminate the single-theme truffle menu every year, they do not want to saturate the palate, now the diner will be able to choose which preparation of the traditional menu of local products they prefer. The one they will keep is Angela’s favorite dish, the farmhouse eggs with truffle, sardine and fried green peppers in their version of fried egg cream, smoked sardine, green pepper, breadcrumbs with sheep’s butter.
The truffle is very versatile and yet the best way to cook it is not to cook it according to some chefs. Here the opinions have nuances that are directly related to the price and its use to enhance it. Emilio from l’Escudella restaurant (Vilafranca, Alt Maestrat) clarifies that If you know how to spend it, it is not expensive and realizing its potential is a matter of temperature: “Let it go above 40 degrees to extract the aroma but never exceed 80 to avoid volatilizing its perfume. Outside this range we will use too much and throw it away.” Emilio proposes it to flavor eggs and rice, finish some laminated dishes or try it on the Vilanosporum menu that begins its season (under reservation and until March).
In this sense, Alejandra Herrador from the Atalaya restaurant (Alcossebre, Baix Maestrat) assures that melanosporum is a product with an incredible quality-price ratio. With only 50g of truffle you can make many different preparations such as the last savory dish on your tasting menu, lamb rice and mushrooms with truffle. This February they start the new 2025 menu with the application of sweet truffle as a pre-dessert. It is quite common to find it together with the artichoke, as Alejandra points out, they are two products of very high quality and with short but similar seasons. Carlos Miralles from the Mar Blava restaurant (Benicarló, Baix Maestrat) highlights the Alt Maestrat and Els Ports truffle combined with DOP Benicarló artichoke, salt and Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the Canetera variety. Less is more.
