Truffles are one of the most luxurious ingredients in cooking arts. They are owning to both their rarity and their sublime flavor as such they are also super expensive which also adds to their renown. Truffles are used in the dining of dishes like risotto and pasta and can also be added to fresh cheese. They are available seasonally. So, Why is truffle so expensive? Read more for many useful information.
Why is truffle so expensive?
Truffles are the most expensive food, the reason behind their expensiveness is their scarcity of production. They are extremely difficult to grow and take so many years to cultivate. Truffles are seasonal and also they have a short shelf life. They are rarely found in the woodland as they require a lot of oak trees and require a specific climate to grow. The growth of truffles is still not guaranteed even when all the conditions are perfect. Every truffle is dug by hand so that the hunting them is labor-extensive. Nearly it takes 6 years to get a truffle harvest when setting its orchard.
Why are truffles threat under by climate change?
All the natural world is affected by climate change, in all its aspects. The number of truffles has decreased significantly, due to climate change there is a loss of woodlands and general shifts taking place. In the 19th century of France, the production has fallen over 1,000 tonnes a season to 30 tonnes. This is sad for truffle lovers that in the future despite the desire to cultivate them they may disappear.
Price of Truffle:
It depends upon the buyer from which he/she is purchasing whether it is from a retailer or wholesaler that is for their restaurant. They are grown in the northern part of Italy that why they are the most expensive among others. They have a very deeper fragrance also. Their price also depends upon the demand and supply of it at any given moment.
Italy hosts an annual truffle festival at Acqualagna that is in the northern part of Le Marche where they sold fresh truffles products and truffles themselves in the market. It’s worth visiting there as the whole town is filled with the aesthetic scent of truffles and their products.
Truffle oil:
Oil is the best way to enjoy truffles affordably, particularly in the white truffle. While buying make sure that it is made with real truffle, not the artificially flavored, so for checking this you can check its label. The oil is heady scented oil. Its most common uses of it are in the risotto and pasta dishes, in eggs, or even in the cheese toast.
The truffle oil is not made with truffles, even the flavor of truffle oil and the bits of truffle in the bottle have a different kind of flavor than true fresh truffles. Some use truffle oil which is made by infusing oil with one of its flavor compounds found in the truffles. Moreover, actual truffles are less affordable than flavourful ingredients.
Varieties:
There are so many types of truffles are available in the market, some of them are explained below with their regions-
- White truffle comes from the northern part of Italian Piedmont
- Black truffles which are also known as Perigord truffle comes from the parts of southwestern France
- Summer or Burgundy truffles are highly prized
- The whitish truffle, pine truffle, and garlic truffle are some of the other edible truffles.
Both white and black truffles are the most popular.
How the truffles are taste?
The taste vary from their flavor, different variety has a different aroma. Moreover, truffles have an oaky, nutty, mushroomy, musky, and earthy flavor. White and black are the most common truffles, the white truffles are more pungent than the others and they have a flavor and aroma which resemble shallots or garlic whereas the black truffles have chocolatey notes. Truffles have compact, and firm and they are having spongy textures.
Different parts of the world have different types of featured aromas and flavors because each one of them is growing in a different type of environment and they are having specific types of properties of the soil. In which season they are harvested depends upon the type of the trees.
Storage of truffles:
Within the five days of digging up the truffles, they start losing their aroma and flavor and they are completely spoiled as they are extremely perishable. It is advisable to use a fresh truffle in the given time otherwise store it in the refrigerator in an air-tight container with some rice that is dry so that they prevent truffles from being soggy because of the moisture loss. It is important to store it in the container as truffles emit their aroma continuously so this is for the sake of other items.
How to buy truffles?
The best way to obtain fresh truffles is to buy from someone who forages them as normally it is difficult to buy fresh truffles due to their perishable nature and they are also inherently rare. Online there are so many companies but the availability is limited.
Conclusion:
Thus we have seen Why is truffle so expensive? Truffles have very less production and they have extremely difficult to cultivate as they take many years to grow, because these truffles are too expensive. Even when the conditions are good then there is no guarantee of its products as they require a lot of oak trees and are rarely found in the woodland.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q1: What is truffle oil?
Ans: Truffle oil is the legendary and exotic ingredient used to impact the taste of the food. This is used as finishing oil which is used in a variety of the dishes like pizza, fries pasta, and also in the deviled eggs, and mashed potatoes. Truffle oil is less expensive than fresh truffles so they are available in all seasons.
Q2: Do Truffles are good for health?
Ans: It is good for health to take antioxidants they lower the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease. However, truffles are a rich source of antioxidants that may help to fight free radicals and prevent cells from oxidative damage.
