4 large antique truffle jars - green 12¼"

This collection of truffle jars are from Chanteduc, Patricia and Walter Wells' farmhouse in Provence. Made from blown glass, most likely by the Verrerie de Trinquetaille in the late-nineteenth to early-twentieth century.  

Patricia found these jars one-by-one at brocantes in Provence over the years. In her book Simply Truffles: Recipes and Stories That Capture the Essence of the Black Diamond she writes about this ancient truffle preserving method:

In the sixteenth century, truffles were enveloped in wax to prevent evaporation and also to preserve their aroma. But until the early nineteenth century, no one had been able to come up with a satisfactory method to preserve truffles. Drying or immersing in brine completely removed their flavor. Oil, lard, and sawdust also proved ineffective.

In 1810 Frenchman Nicolas Appert developed a preserving technique still in use today. Thick black glass bottles were created, with a narrow neck just wide enough to hold an average truffle. The jars were filled with whole truffles, sealed with a cork and bound with a wire. The bottles were then stacked in a cauldron and covered with cold water that was gently brought to a boil, then cooled again. Once removed from the water, the bottles were sealed with red wax. Truffles could be kept for up to three years when preserved in this way. 

"Truffles are to the soil as stars are to the sky." Henri-Frederic Blanc, French Cartoonist.

p251 Wells, P. (2004). The Provence Cookbook. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers.