Truffles

In the summer of 1967, my husband and I went to France for three months. The reason for the extended trip was for me to do the research for my dissertation. The result of this trip was a number of huge learning experiences, and truffles were among these experiences.

We spent about a month in the city of Tulle in the Correze area. A charming city with a river dividing the main street. We stayed ina family-owned hotel on the main street, the river dividing our side of the street from the other side of the street.

Tulle was, at that time, the truffle capital of the world.

The hotel owner owned a farm in the country outside of Tulle, and one of the things harvested on that farm were truffles that they canned and sold. The described how they were found, why they were so expensive, and what a delicacy they were.

late in our time in the Correze, we went out for dinner in another town at the small chateau that had belonged to Henri de Jouvenel, the man I was writing about in my dissertation. It was a very romantic place and we ate a five course meal -- by candlelight with fine china and silver. A great ambiance. All of their house specialties, except for the desserts, were made with truffles. There was a slice of a truffle on some meat with a sauce for my appetizer, some chumps of truffle in the sauce on my fish, and a steadk with a huge slice of truffle for the main course.

First taste took a bit of getting used to but soon I got the taste for them and I enjoyed my entire meal . . . until the next morning.

I felt so sick; I don't even want to think about how I felt. Just let it be said that from that time on, I have always preferred chocolate truffles to the real thing.

Now, at the time, I did not know that I was allergic to milk and I had this experience often after a good French dinner that included a lot of sauces. I was fine with steak frit, pommes frit, salade and wine.

Maybe someday, I will try truffles again!

I am no longer allergic to milk and I dearly hope to get to taste truffles again.