by Eleanor Tylbor
Directly from France (where else!) where things like this are tres important comes the devastating and shocking news that - wait for it - truffles are in danger of being wiped out!
Mon Dieu! Pas possible!
But yes it's true! So if you're a truffle lover...or liker...or even someone who occasionally indulges in a few truffles, you might be out of luck. Just to clarify we're not talking about the chocolate type with a gazillion calories. It's the kind that only piggies can find in certain geographical locations.
Mais oui!
Narrowing it down further, the Perigort Black Truffle to be exact and the cause is an alien interloping Chinese truffle.
Uh-oh...! Call in the gendarmes or french borner patrol!
Scientists fear it will be wiped out by an invading Chinese truffle they have discovered growing in European soils. Hmmmm... I smell if you'll excuse the pun, a plot afoot - or a-nose. Perhaps yet another means in which to introduce cheaper truffles and spoil the truffle market.
According to people who know about these things who then informed New Phytologist journal, the incomer is a particularly aggressive and fast-growing species.The Perigord black truffle is one of the most highly regarded truffles, fetching around 600 to 800 Euros per kg this season.
"It is the most famous and appreciated among the black truffles, and is the most important truffle in French cuisine," says Claude Murat, a fungus expert based at the University of Torino, Italy.
Somehow, when somebody uses the term "fungus" even though it is referring to a gourmet item, my mind switches to less savory images. Toe nails for example but I digress.
Only Piedmont white truffles fetch higher prices. Hey - we all knew that! Right?
Read the entire story here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7405004.stm
So...like...how upset are you regarding this...this shocking news???? More to the point, would you know the difference between one truffle and another?
Perhaps it would be a good idea the next time you're dining out at a fast food restaurant and truffles are on the menu, you might want to think twice. I mean, one just never knows, does one?
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