Imereti
Khachapuri with Cheese and Ham
Georgian cheese bread, boat-shaped, with ham, truffle and an egg yolk
2 h·4 servings
Black truffle
A prized underground fungus with a dark, warty skin and an intense, earthy aroma, usually shaved raw over the finished dish.
Fresh black truffles are sold in season, roughly December to March for the winter truffle and May to August for the milder summer truffle, at delicatessens, well-stocked markets and by mail order, and outside those months only preserved in jars or as a paste. Fresh tubers should be firm and smell strongly, and are best used within a few days, kept cold and wrapped in kitchen paper.
Substitute:
There is no true substitute; jarred truffles or truffle paste give a weaker, flatter aroma, and truffle oil is usually artificially flavoured and tastes noticeably different. If fresh truffle is out of reach, a little summer truffle or simply leaving it out is better than covering the dish with flavoured oil.
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