Frozen Black Truffles for the Trade
Frozen truffles exist for one reason: fresh black truffle is available for about four months, and kitchens need it for twelve.
Tuber melanosporum frozen during the season keeps its aroma for cooked and blended dishes and travels without a timed cold chain.
This page is for trade buyers who need black truffle outside the fresh window.
Why frozen truffle exists
The strength of fresh black truffle is that it is seasonal, and that is also its weakness. Outside December to April there is no fresh product from Spain.
Within the seasonality of the fresh truffle, there is a year-round product in the derived formats: preserved, frozen and sliced. Freezing is the one that stays closest to fresh.
What gets frozen, according to the trade
Spanish processors sell frozen black truffle whole, in pieces or sliced, selected at its point of ripeness between January and March, with nothing added. The typical buyer is restaurants and distribution, which gain availability all year without the pressure of the season.
At the other end of the scale, the lowest grade is bagged and frozen for aroma extraction, the last link in the truffle chain.
Frozen truffle in the kitchen
Frozen black truffle is for cooked and blended preparations: sauces, stuffings, butters, dishes where the truffle is grated or chopped in.
It is not a substitute for a fresh piece shaved raw at the table. A kitchen that needs both uses fresh in season and frozen the rest of the year.
Ordering frozen black truffle by the kilo
Frozen formats are made during the season from the same harvest as the fresh product, and stock ships after it.
Tell us the format, the volume and the months you need covered. Quotations are given against what was frozen this season.
- Format: whole, pieces or sliced.
- Volume per order or per year.
- Destination, confirmed before anything is shipped.
Frozen, preserved or peelings
Frozen keeps closest to fresh but needs a freezer at the other end. Preserved formats ship and store as ordinary goods. Peelings are the cheapest aromatic raw material for anything blended.
Related trade pages:
- Black Truffle Wholesale — Direct from the Grower
- Preserved Black Truffle: Peelings, Pieces & Frozen
- Black Truffle Pieces: the Same Truffle, Broken
- Black Truffle Peelings for the Trade
Does frozen truffle taste like fresh?
Close, in cooked dishes. Frozen keeps more of the aroma than sterilised preserves, which is why it is the format restaurants use out of season. Shaved raw at the table, only fresh does the job.
Which grade of truffle is frozen?
Processors freeze whole truffle, pieces and slices selected in season; the lowest grade is frozen separately for aroma extraction. Ask for the grade with the quotation.
Request a trade quotation for frozen truffle
Send the format, the volume and the months you need covered. You get a quotation against this season’s frozen stock before committing.
Request trade pricing