However, it should be taken into consideration that although mushroom and truffles have no cholesterol and low in fat, the method of cooking them would usually require them to be infused with butter or oil. Thus, adding to the fatty value of the dish. It would then be safe to say, that although vegetables, mushrooms and fungi are healthy, the method of cooking and preparing it would have a huge impact on the nutritional value of the dish. Recently, only 25 to 150 tons of truffles are harvested every year. Many decades ago, harvest of truffles total to hundreds or even thousands. Why is that so? A truffle starts to grow only after about seven years, and the tree where a truffle grows can produce them for only 15 to 30 years. That explains why truffles come with hefty price tags. Yes, you can find them in every part of the world, but it takes a great deal of hard work, time, patience, and knowledge about various truffle species to be able to collect these precious finds. And you can correctly guess that it s their being elusive that makes them seductive, what with the human nature that drives people to want anything that is difficult to attain. Among the so many types, White Truffles are preferred by many. These are consumed fresh or they prefer shaved White Truffles on top of hot pasta with butter. Some even prefer it fresh in their salads. In other dishes, other types such as Black Truffles are used as garnishes to various meat dishes as well as to chicken. For example, black truffles when still young would have red exterior color with the inside white instead of black. This would be during early spring. Upon September to November, the black truffles would turn into dark grey or black with white veins. This is a sign that the truffles are mature enough to harvest and to eat. Tuber indicum has fine white veins and brown meat, while Tuber sinense has huge ivory veins and dark brown flesh. The latter type of Chinese truffle is oily and chewy and leaves a bitter taste to the tongue. Chinese truffles have recently become a staple in a number of restaurants in the United States.