Black Truffle Pieces: the Same Truffle, Broken
Truffle pieces are black truffle, Tuber melanosporum, that broke while being lifted from the ground or cleaned.
They are the same truffle as the whole graded piece, with the same aroma and the same flavour. What they lack is shape.
For anything grated, chopped or cooked in, that makes them the sensible purchase.
How a truffle becomes a piece
The dog must be good at finding truffles without scratching them, and the person lifting them must not break them. Both things fail sometimes.
A grower describes it: a truffle near the surface that the dog catches with a paw, or a corner broken off by the knife while lifting it. Those are pieces. So are the pointed, irregular truffles of the lower grades that break while being cleaned.
Why pieces cost a fraction of a whole truffle
The grower gives one example of what a break does to the price: an Extra truffle at a market reference of 1,200 euros per kilo, split in two by the knife, drops to 150. One eighth of the price, for the same truffle.
What the trade uses truffle pieces for
A restaurant puts an Extra truffle on the counter and cooks with lower grades in the kitchen, because in the pan the shape is invisible. Pieces take that logic one step further.
- Sauces, stuffings and butters, where the truffle is chopped or grated in.
- Prepared products and preserves, which are usually made from broken truffle.
- Any dish where the truffle is tasted but not seen whole.
Pieces are not peelings
Pieces are broken truffles, still recognisable as truffle, with flesh and skin. Peelings are the trimmings left after cleaning whole pieces, with no shape at all.
If the finished product should show a fragment of truffle, ask for pieces. If it is blended, peelings are the cheaper raw material.
Ordering black truffle pieces by the kilo
The price of truffle depends on whether you buy ten grams or a hundred kilos. Pieces are quoted by volume, against what the current harvest has produced.
Tell us the quantity, the use and the destination. Fresh pieces exist during the season, from December to April; for the rest of the year, ask about the frozen format.
Related trade pages:
- Black Truffle Wholesale — Direct from the Grower
- Black Truffle Peelings for the Trade
- Frozen Black Truffles for the Trade
- Black Truffle Price per Kilo
Do truffle pieces smell the same as whole truffle?
Yes. They are the same harvest of Tuber melanosporum. A truffle that breaks while being lifted loses its shape and most of its price, not its aroma.
What size are the pieces?
From a corner broken off a whole truffle to a truffle split in half. Size varies with the harvest week; ask for the current lot with the quotation.
Request a trade quotation for pieces
Send the volume, the intended use and the destination. You get a quotation against the current harvest before committing.
Request trade pricing