Black Truffles (Tuber melanosporum)
Collaborating with Australia’s leading truffle farmers in various regions in Western Australia, New South Wales, Tasmania and Victoria, Friend & Burrell has extensive, specialist experience and understanding of truffles. These fungal fruits have mystified and intoxicated living beings since ancient times with their warm fragrance and earthy, musky, pungent complexity.
Simon Friend and Bryan Burrell have been involved in the Australian truffle industry from its early days. They share a view that every truffle requires careful assessment of appearance, feel, aroma, flavour, moisture, texture and overall condition before introduction to any kitchen. Not every “pearl of the earth” is worthy of being a “diamond of the kitchen”. Simon has a clear eye, a keen nose and a sharp trimming knife, assessing truffles, or parts of truffles, worthy of any chef’s attention.
Working with truffiéres across varied Australian regions enables F&B to secure a reliable, consistently good supply chain of truffles of diverse character and to enjoy the longest possible season. We have good quality truffles from the early harvests (usually from WA) through to the latest (usually from New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania).
F&B provides chefs with the highest quality, professionally graded truffles of culinary merit (Tuber magnatum and Tuber melanosporum). We grade and pack truffles in accordance with chefs’ preferences and deliver and pack to maximise their shelf life.
Rigorous and consistent truffle grading is critical for chefs. The truffles are subjected to close assessment from the time they’re identified by the farmers' dogs, dug and cleaned to the time they reach our grading table, then graded and packed for chefs by us.
Friend & Burrell does not grade for individual producers - we grade to the high standards required by chefs. We discard truffles that are over or under ripe, with poor nose, unacceptably irregular shape, damaged by bug or other animal, with undefined marbling or simply not presenting as melanosporum should. Soft or wet truffles are unacceptable. Our truffles are dense, firm and flavoursome.
Food service friends, please contact us for our grading and pricing information. Home cooks, please visit our retail partners for our truffles, knowledge and cooking tips, including:
Damian Pike at Prahran Market
Georgie's Harvest at South Melbourne Market
Fresh Generation at Queen Victoria Market