FROM THE LAND
BLACK TRUFFLES FROM ÑUBLE
From Source to The Singular's Kitchens
Coihueco, Ñuble Region, Chile
Some ingredients carry value long before they reach the kitchen. Black truffles are among them.
Hernán Basso, Executive Chef of The Singular Hotels, traveled to Coihueco in Chile’s Ñuble Region with Diego Vega, Sous Chef at The Singular Patagonia, and Claudio Bello, Sous Chef at The Singular Santiago, to meet Terratruf founder Javier Rozas and learn firsthand about his work.
Among holm oaks, damp soil, and specially trained dogs, the culinary team joined a harvest defined by patience, close observation, and years of accumulated knowledge.
beneath the soil
Black truffles (Tuber melanosporum) grow underground in a symbiotic relationship with the roots of specific trees. At Terratruf, they are cultivated primarily alongside Spanish holm oaks, requiring time, care, and precise growing conditions.
Specially trained dogs detect the scent of mature truffles, signaling when each one is ready to be carefully harvested.
a harvest guided by scent
Once located, each truffle is carefully lifted from the soil. The harvest combines the dogs’ sense of smell with the team’s hands-on work—a precise process guided by experience, intuition, and knowledge of the crop.
in the singular's kitchen
Understanding how an ingredient is cultivated and harvested also changes the way it is handled in the kitchen.
At The Singular Santiago and The Singular Patagonia, black truffles are incorporated into selected dishes with close attention to their intensity, seasonality, and provenance.
The connection between ingredient, craft, and origin begins long before it reaches the table.
terratruf
Javier Rozas founded Terratruf in 2007 to develop a crop that was still largely unfamiliar in Chile. The plantation was established in Coihueco the following year; its first truffles appeared in 2014, after a six-year wait.
Its development has required observation, learning, and continual adaptation to local conditions. Much of the work is still carried out by hand.
Behind an exceptional ingredient are time, expertise, and people.
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