Greek Truffles are a type of mushroom that grow underground, and like all fungi, they lack essential plant structures such as roots, stems, and seeds, which are typically found in flowering plants (phanerogamous – spermatophytes).
The ancient botanists Dioscorides and Theophrastus provided precise and concise descriptions of Greek truffles. Dioscorides noted, “The hydno is a round root without leaves, without a stem, yellowish in color, which is harvested in the spring. It is edible and can be consumed raw or cooked.”
Theophrastus elaborated, stating, “The hydno has no stem, branch, twig, leaf, flower, fruit, skin, heartwood, fibers, or vessels.” For a long time, the origins of this fungus were enigmatic, presenting challenges for botanists until they finally unraveled the true nature of these mushrooms.
The noticeable lack of any reproductive structures has made it difficult to understand how Greek truffles reproduce, leading many to believe they simply appeared randomly in the soil. Unlike the seeds of flowering plants, mushroom spores are microscopic and invisible to the naked eye; before the invention of the microscope, their existence was largely unknown.
Like all mushrooms, Greek truffles reproduce through spores generated in specialized ascomycete reproductive structures, which are typically spread across the earth by natural elements such as wind and water. It is remarkable to note that our ancestors, despite the limited scientific knowledge of their time, accurately theorized that Greek truffles originated from seeds.
Greek Truffles are macroscopically recognizable by the color and texture of their surfaces, which can be either smooth or rough and come in shades of white, tan, or black.
