Comparison between Precious Black Truffle and Brumale Truffle

The brumale truffle (Tuber brumale Vitt. and variety Moschatum De Ferry), or winter black truffle, and the precious black truffle (Tuber melanosporum Vitt.), also known as Norcia truffle or Perigord truffle, are two species of black winter truffle, that, according to the Regional Law of Tuscany, are collected from November 15th to March 15th.
By this article we want to explain the differences between these two underground mushrooms that may be confused by the less experienced.
You can see their description even in this video.
Outwardly they appear similar, in fact, their rind (or peridium) is black and it has warts small and not very prominent. It is therefore evident that there could be based only on the exterior, but it is necessary to analyze other features.
A first quick method is to scrape off some wart to see the color inside, so you may notice that the precious has more reddish tones while the brumale is shifted toward the blue / purple.
The differences become even more pronounced if we go to dissect the two types of truffles. Analyzing the gleba, it is easy to see how the precious truffle mature is very dark blackish-purple with white and fine veins, the brumale truffle gleba is brownish-gray with large and less frequent veins.
Finally, another important element to consider is the fragrance, absolutely not comparable between the two subjects.
The precious black truffle has a sweet smell, intense and pleasant, making every dish special, brumale instead has a very strong odor, tending to musk, especially in Musky varieties.
In market the black of Norcia is highly sought and appreciated, this increase the price compared to the little used brumale, so it’s better to be very careful in what people propose, to avoid any unpleasant disappointments.