Let’s find out how to eat truffles during pregnancy without risking toxoplasmosis or health problems. Here are some safe guidelines
The problem of toxoplasmosis in pregnancy can also arise with truffles. However, with the right precautions, it can be consumed safely.
Truffles in pregnancy: yes, or no? There are many questions that accompany expectant mothers at such a magical time, starting with those about food.
What can be consumed and what not?
What is good for you and what is contraindicated?
Perhaps among those reading us there will be expectant mothers asking themselves this very question, but about truffles. In short: can one eat truffles during pregnancy? Is it necessary to wash it as I do with fruit and vegetables? Or should it be avoided for nine months?
Unclear explanations and doubts about toxoplasmosis can lead to stress in a time of life that should be filled with joy: this is why we want to finally clarify and explain that yes, you can eat truffles during pregnancy, but by following the right rules to avoid risks!
Can you eat truffles during pregnancy? Yes, but with some precautions
Toxoplasmosis is usually a harmless disease, but if contracted during pregnancy, it can turn out to be dangerous for the unborn child. For this reason, expectant mothers are typically warned about how to behave at the table.
Given that the parasite responsible for this disease, Toxoplasma gondii, is found in fruit or vegetables in contact with the soil or in raw meat, it is advisable to wash fruit and vegetables properly, perhaps even using specific products, and to consume meat only after it has been well-cooked. Cooking, in fact, kills the parasite, making the meat safe.
But what about truffles during pregnancy?
Actually, the only truffle that can withstand real cooking is the Black Precious Truffle. While Autumn, Brumale and Summer truffles can be reheated, but not cooked, white truffles, such as Precious White Truffle and Whitish Truffle, should instead be eaten strictly raw, so as not to lose their flavour.
Being a product of the earth, it is therefore advisable to consume fresh truffles only after having cleaned them perfectly, to remove any earth and Toxoplasma Gondii residues, or otherwise, in trusted restaurants.
It is also possible to consume truffles during pregnancy, without risk to the foetus, by freezing them in a blast chiller for at least 48 hours before use: in fact, low temperatures kill the parasite, making the truffle a safe food.
But there are also ways to enjoy truffles safely during pregnancy: let’s discover them together!
Truffles in pregnancy: how to eat them safely
Mothers-to-be can breathe a sigh of relief: there is no need to give up truffles for nine long months! One of the solutions for eating truffles during pregnancy without risk, as we said, is to opt for cooked truffles.
This means choosing, at least during pregnancy, the Black Precious Truffle, the only one that can be cooked without losing its flavour. Bringing it to a temperature of at least 60°, as with meat, kills the parasite that causes toxoplasmosis, and it is possible to eat a truffle dish without risk. Of course, this procedure is only recommended in the case of the Precious Black Truffle: a white truffle, on the other hand, must never be cooked, or it will lose all its precious characteristics and unique flavour.
The alternative is to choose truffles in other forms: in the preserved or dried form.
In fact, preserved products pose no risk to pregnant women because they undergo pasteurisation and sterilisation processes that kill Toxoplasma Gondii. Therefore, sauces, creams and pâtés are a valid alternative for those who do not want to give up the taste of truffles even during pregnancy. The same also applies to dried or dehydrated truffles.
To sum up, you can eat a truffle during pregnancy if:
– You clean it very well;
– It is cooked at a temperature of at least 60° (this only applies to the Precious Black Truffle);
– You freeze it in a blast chiller for at least 48 hours before use;
– You opt for preserved truffle-based products or dried/dehydrated truffles.
Truffles in pregnancy: say yes to preserved products
Trivelli Tartufi products offer a wide choice to future mothers who do not want to give up the taste of truffles during pregnancy: from the exquisite Fettuccine con Tartufo, rich in flavour, to the sauces and pâtés that you can find in our online shop.
Truffle Sauce, Asparagus and Summer Truffle Pate, Tomato and Black Truffle Sauce are just some proposals to safely consume truffles during pregnancy and to treat yourself to all the flavour of these extraordinary fruits of the earth at all times, even when the truffle you would like to taste is not yet in season.
So, ahead of a happy event, why deprive yourself of a sophisticated, delicious, and healthy food like truffles, even during pregnancy?
Follow the warnings and tips we have just given you, and even the most gluttonous of mothers will be able to have a moment of tasty relaxation. Truffle tagliatelle, truffle-enriched pizzas or delicious truffle desserts will keep moms’ company during the nine months, making the time spent at the table certainly more enjoyable.
In fact, during pregnancy it is normal to have ‘cravings’, which cannot always be satisfied, whereas with Trivelli Tartufi products, the ‘truffle craving’ can be satisfied without worries, anticipating even happier events.