Truffles, not just a box of chocolates

Up until somewhat recently, when I heard the term 'truffle' my mind would immediately turn to a rich little chocolate you could buy someone special when you had a reason to say sorry.

Now however, I think of a little black or white fungus. Often referred to as 'the diamond of the kitchen', if you happened to have the same amount in weight as your candy, you'd probably be better off saying sorry with a piece of jewelry instead.

So what is a truffle exactly? Is it really worthy of its status in the kitchen or is it brought to us by the same group of 'connoisseurs' that have the rich pretending to enjoy roe and civet coffee?

A truffle is a fungus that grows off the roots of various trees. Sounds appealing right? Well they are to a lot of people, some of whom will pay as much as $4,000 a pound for this little mushroom, or more commonly, about 100 dollars for one the size of a golf ball. Our fascination with truffles and the willingness of a select few to pay through the nose for them goes back to antiquity.

Truffle searching is usually carried out with the help of man's best friend, or in many cases, pigs. It's been shown that truffles produce the same pheromone that is emitted by boars, which is why pigs are usually the beast of choice for this operation. They are however likely to devour the tuber upon its discovery, so it's risky (but profitable) business.

So why are they so valued? I think most of it comes down to a mix of basic economics and the mystique that surrounds them. Last month I decided to spring for the 30 euro black truffle risotto at an Italian restaurant near us and I hedonistically loved every minute of it. They are earthy, peppery, and woody. Would I have missed them if they weren't there? Probably not for the flavor, but definitely for the experience.

Want to see if you'd even like the taste? Try buying a small bottle of truffle oil instead (which probably won't have any truffle in it) for considerably less money, and use it in your cooking. Try it over pasta, salads, risotto, soups, or hey, even in your scrambled eggs or drizzled over some popcorn in front of the TV.

Hope it's a good movie!

GG