What's The Difference Between Truffles And Other Chocolate Treats?

Chocolate truffles are synonymous with decadence, romance, and luxury. However, even die-hard chocolate lovers might not know what actually makes a truffle a truffle (and not just an expensive piece of chocolate). The answer is simple, but like a good piece of high-quality chocolate, deceptively complex.

Ganache is the essential element that sets traditional truffles apart from other petite, chocolatey confections such as bonbons and pralines. Ganache is a rich mix of chocolate and cream which is commonly used as a filling or frosting for all kinds of chocolate treats, from entrancing thumbprint cookies to perfect Boston cream pie. According to a delightful but probably apocryphal origin story, chocolate truffles were accidentally invented by the French chef Auguste Escoffier. 

As legend has it, one day Escoffier (or possibly one of his pupils) mistakenly poured hot cream into a bowl of chocolate. After shouting ganache –- which can mean idiot or imbecile in French –- the legendary chef realized that the resulting substance could easily be rolled into delicious bite-size balls resembling another French culinary treasure, the truffle fungus. Thus, chocolate truffles were born. How much (if any) of this story is true is unclear, but it does reinforce the fact that ganache is a defining feature of truffles.

Truffles are often confused with their bite-size chocolate brethren, bonbons and pralines. Traditionally, a truffle is a small ball or sphere of chocolate ganache with some kind of coating such as cocoa powder, chopped nuts, or coconut. Chocolate bonbons look quite similar to truffles, but they're typically filled with fruit, liqueur, caramel, or other non-chocolate fillings instead of ganache and covered by a hard, molded chocolate shell. Pralines, in contrast, are more nut-forward and usually include a caramelized sugar and nut paste. However — and this is where it gets complex — all of these definitions are rather fluid and tend to be loosely applied, especially in the increasingly innovative world of gourmet chocolate.

Today, truffles come in a plethora of increasingly intricate shapes, colors, flavors, and fillings. From Campbell's Thanksgiving truffles to white chocolate Velveeta-filled truffles, the name truffle can be (and is) applied to almost any small chocolate-containing confection. All (or at least most) of these so-called truffles are likely to be delicious, but if you're looking for a truly traditional truffle experience, ganache is the way to go.