TRUFFLES, THEIR HISTORY AND PREPARATION 301 The antique truffle brought from Africa to Eome was probably a distinct variety, Ttibar niveum, Desfontaines. Many essays have been written on truffles, one of the earliest being by T. Eobinson, published in 1693. A German author, A. Bornholz, treated of their cultivation, and his work was translated into French in 1826. The praises of truffles are often as absurd as the condemnations launched against them. A goodly collection of both kinds of animadversion may be found in the work of Dumas, who says truly that he belonged to a time in which truffles had been more in fashion than at any other period : ‘ Les Bour- bons de la Branche ainee gouvernaient, disait-on, avec des truffes.’ Whatever may be the result of the analysis of this sentence, the connection between this family and truffles did not turn out to be a prosperous one, and perhaps, as a consequence, modern Frenchmen look upon truffles with the same limited but just appreciation as we do ourselves. To insure the good quality of truffles the purchaser should select them as round or globular as possible ; press them in the hand and see that they are resistent, and neither soft nor adhesive ; he should smell them to ascertain their flavour — if they have an odour or taste of cheese, they are spoiled, and must be rejected; he should next throw them in fresh water, and separate those which float, and which are inferior, from those which remain at the bottom; he should brush them to remove all earth, and change the water, which should always be cold (52° F.), until it is not changed by the tubers any longer. In case any skewers l;)e seen, they should be drawn to make sure that several truffles have not been fastened together to make a large one. The finest truffles are generally sent to table en serviette, while the smaller and inferior ones are cut up in slices, dice, and mince, and used in sauces, ragouts, and minces. Truffles are in season from November to March. Truffles may be added to many dishes, but in this place 302 THE SPIRIT OF COOKERY we wish to take notice only of such preparations as preserve the identity of the tubers. They may be hcikecl in ashes, braised in a wine mirepoix, or steamed over brandy and boater. The result of the braising is called by the French Truffes d la serviette, because they are carried to table on a napkin. The mirepoix is to contain a bottle of wine (Dumas has champagne ; Baron Thiry orders wine of Collioure, M. Bignon, Madeira or Jerez). The application of alcohol in this manner appears to be both extravagant and un- sesthetical. The wine or spirit does not enter into the truffle, happily for its taste, but boils away, and does not even furnish a good sauce. It is therefore preferable, for all those who desire to preserve to the truffles their natural unmixed flavour, to wrap them in buttered paper and steam them in a suitable apparatus, or bake them in hot ashes, or, most conveniently, bake them, wrapped in buttered paper, in an oven. Truffles boiled in court botiillon are a mere variety of those braised in wine mirepoix. When such truffles are set up in a pyramid they are called en roche, therefore peculiar only as to external form.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

TRUFFLES, THEIR HISTORY AND PREPARATION 301 The antique truffle brought from Africa to Rome was probably a distinct variety, Tuber niveum, Desfontaines. Many essays have been written on truffles, one of the earliest being by T. Robinson, published in 1693. A German author, A. Bornholz, treated of their cultivation, and his work was translated into French in 1826. The praises of truffles are often as absurd as the condemnations launched against them. A goodly collection of both kinds of animadversion may be found in the work of Dumas, who says truly that he belonged to a time in which truffles had been more in fashion than at any other period : ‘ Les Bourbons de la Branche ainee gouvernaient, disait-on, avec des truffes.’ Whatever may be the result of the analysis of this sentence, the connection between this family and truffles did not turn out to be a prosperous one, and perhaps, as a consequence, modern Frenchmen look upon truffles with the same limited but just appreciation as we do ourselves. To insure the good quality of truffles the purchaser should select them as round or globular as possible ; press them in the hand and see that they are resistent, and neither soft nor adhesive ; he should smell them to ascertain their flavour — if they have an odour or taste of cheese, they are spoiled, and must be rejected; he should next throw them in fresh water, and separate those which float, and which are inferior, from those which remain at the bottom; he should brush them to remove all earth, and change the water, which should always be cold (52° F.), until it is not changed by the tubers any longer. In case any skewers be seen, they should be drawn to make sure that several truffles have not been fastened together to make a large one. The finest truffles are generally sent to table en serviette, while the smaller and inferior ones are cut up in slices, dice, and mince, and used in sauces, ragouts, and minces. Truffles are in season from November to March. Truffles may be added to many dishes, but in this place we wish to take notice only of such preparations as preserve the identity of the tubers. They may be baked in ashes, braised in a wine mirepoix, or steamed over brandy and butter. The result of the braising is called by the French Truffes d la serviette, because they are carried to table on a napkin. The mirepoix is to contain a bottle of wine (Dumas has champagne ; Baron Thiry orders wine of Collioure, M. Bignon, Madeira or Jerez). The application of alcohol in this manner appears to be both extravagant and unesthetical. The wine or spirit does not enter into the truffle, happily for its taste, but boils away, and does not even furnish a good sauce. It is therefore preferable, for all those who desire to preserve to the truffles their natural unmixed flavour, to wrap them in buttered paper and steam them in a suitable apparatus, or bake them in hot ashes, or, most conveniently, bake them, wrapped in buttered paper, in an oven. Truffles boiled in court bouillon are a mere variety of those braised in wine mirepoix. When such truffles are set up in a pyramid they are called en roche, therefore peculiar only as to external form.

The spirit of cookery