Rare and Expensive

Truffles are the fruiting bodies of a fungus (like mushrooms) but grow underground instead of above the soil. The group of fungus that make truffles is called Tuber fungus. They make different kinds of truffles, with specific smell, taste, and color — but they are all used for cooking!

People often train dogs or use pigs to sniff out truffles because of their strong, unique smell. A smell that contains more than 100 flavor molecules, which are made by the fungus and its associated bacteria.

Expert Detectors

The Secret Life

of Truffles

Nature's Hidden Treasure

Beneath the forest floor, a hidden network of microbes and fungi work together to create one of the most sought-after delicacies in the world. But truffles are more than just gourmet food — they’re a biological marvel. Step inside their underground world and uncover the science, mystery and magic behind these extraordinary fungi.

Sniff sniff

A hungry boar sniffs out a truffle buried beneath the soil, drawn by its irresistible scent. As it devours the fungi, tiny spores hitch a ride, traveling through the forest inside the boar. When nature calls, the spores land in a new location, ready to form fresh underground networks – continuing the secret life cycle of the truffle. 🐗

Fungal Diversity

Kai Blin

Senior Researcher

Slow? Or just picky?

Truffles are nothing more than a bag of spores, which when eaten by animals are spread around the forest through poo. Spores need specific soil, climate and tree partners to germinate – so you can’t just “plant” truffles anywhere. So yes, they are just very picky about where they want to grow.

I grow into an intricate web

The hypha is like a fine thread that creates a new thread in any direction it chooses, multiplying itself until it resembles a spider web called a mycelium. It is then that, if you look very closely, you can find it, only as thick as a human hair.

There, even if you do not see it

When the right conditions are met, the Tuber spore germinates to form a tubular unicellular structure called a hypha - and thus a new fungus is born!

Do it yourself!

Did you know you can grow your own mushrooms at home from coffee waste?

Click here to learn how

Fun Fact: It’s HUGE

The largest living organism on earth is the fungi Armillaria Ostoyae!

Bringing everybody together

The mycelium inside is fluid, so it allows molecules to travel along the entire network. As they grow around the cells of tree roots, they can bring nutrients to the tree that they would otherwise not have. In return the Tuber receives sugars to keep on expanding its mycelium.

An incredible array of molecules for every taste

Tubers can sense what is around them and their tip contains a varied toolbox for creating many types of molecules depending on what they encounter and what is needed in the ecosystem. They can also release molecules from their environment, for example molecules from rocks, or uptake nutrients from dead leaves and insects. They are simply the most efficient recyclers.

Fungi gallery

See gallery!

Building networks

Beneath the forest floor, Tuber are more than truffle factories — they are network builders. Hidden underground, they form a powerful partnership with tree roots, exchanging nutrients in a silent, invisible trade.

The truffle’s mycelium, a vast web of fungal threads, wraps around the roots, expanding the tree’s ability to absorb water and minerals from the soil. In return, the tree provides sugars and energy, fueling the truffle’s growth. It is this symbiosis that facilitates the CO₂ fixation of plants and its transport to the fungi and into the soil, where the CO₂ can be stored.

Essential for forest ecosystems

Mycelium creation is very important for the trees, insects and bacteria it interacts with, because it links the different parts of underearth ecosystem, creating a highspeed communication network between all the different soil inhabitants.

A win-win relationship for all

This symbiotic relationship is a win-win: the tree grows stronger, and the Tuber thrives, waiting for the right moment to procreate. They do this by fusing the nucleus of one of their hyphae with one from another tuber. This gives rise to a truffle that releases its aroma to attract an animal partner to spread its spores and create new networks in other parts of the forest. Without this unseen teamwork between fungi and trees, forests wouldn’t be the same — they may be invisible to our eyes, but some fungal mycelial networks can span kilometers underground and can thus be considered the largest living organism on earth.

Approx 7 cm

Sustainable

to its core

The truffle doesn’t grow alone — it thrives by being part of something bigger. It allows the world to carry it to the right place, where it connects, contributes and flourishes. By forming bonds with tree roots, it doesn’t just take what it needs; it gives back, strengthening the entire forest.

Let

life

take you places

Maybe there’s something to learn from the truffle.

Let life take you places. Find where you can grow. And most importantly, don’t just take — give, share and become an essential part of the world around you. Whether in science, nature, or life itself, true success comes from being part of a thriving network. Where will your roots take you?

Use of fungi for sustainable solutions

Pablo Cruz-Morales

Senior Researcher, Group Leader