[HN Gopher] Puzzle of prized white truffle finally yields to sci...
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Puzzle of prized white truffle finally yields to science
Author : nigerian1981
Score : 83 points
Date : 2022-07-24 09:11 UTC (1 days ago)
(HTM) web link (www.theguardian.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.theguardian.com)
| gnrlst wrote:
| The advantage of this goes beyond price: most have to people go
| to Alba (Piemonte, Italy) every year for the Truffle fair for
| fresh white truffle because white truffle can't be stored for
| more than a week or two, so if you want it fresh, you have to go
| to the source, or get it air freighted, or taste it via inferior
| byproducts like "truffle cream" or truffle butter. If this
| democratizes location, it means more people will have access to
| the (much more tasty) white truffle closer to home. Less air
| deliveries, less travel, more truffle on eggs sunnyside up! (the
| traditional, recommended way to enjoy truffle in Alba)
| MarkMarine wrote:
| If you'd like to see what truffle hunting is like, I can't
| recommend "The Truffle Hunters" a 2020 documentary enough. It's
| beautifully shot and composed, it's funny and sad and heart
| warming, and shows the life of 70-80 year old truffle hunters and
| their dogs in a way I never knew about or understood.
|
| After seeing the film, I don't think cultivating these truffles
| will be a bad thing for everyone involved.
| blairbeckwith wrote:
| This is definitely my second favourite truffle documentary
| after 2021's Pig.
| mjamil wrote:
| Not: Pig is not a documentary; it's a fictional drama
| starring Nic Cage.
| ethbr0 wrote:
| Really?
|
| It seemed reasonable to want a quiet retirement after a
| life spent as a famous chef, motorcycle stuntman, American
| archaeologist, screenwriter, WWII veteran, car thief,
| angel, felon, FBI agent and chemical weapons expert, infant
| kidnapper, Vietnam veteran, and burger specialist.
|
| Sometimes, people just want a little peace and solitude,
| you know?
| MarkMarine wrote:
| I haven't seen Pig, but I'll watch it, thanks!
| mertd wrote:
| I wonder what foodstuff will take place of truffles as the rare
| "it" ingredient once truffles are commodotized.
| vanderZwan wrote:
| > _While more than 90% of black, highly prized Perigord
| truffles sold are cultivated, previous attempts to farm their
| rarer white cousins have failed._
|
| I don't eat truffles myself (too strong a taste for me), but I
| wouldn't surprise me if most people don't realize they get the
| cultivated variety already.
| huhtenberg wrote:
| Black truffles are already commodified in a sense that the main
| aroma compound has been isolated, is very cheap to synthesize
| [1] and it's used extensively in "truffle-flavoured" products.
| That's what makes it possible to pick up a bottle of "truffle
| oil" in your supermarket of choice.
|
| [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dithiapentane
| safety1st wrote:
| Yep, that ship has sailed. Burger King in Singapore was
| selling a "Truffle Mayo Chicken Tendercrisp" a few years
| back, for heaven's sake.
| zionic wrote:
| >Black truffles are already commodified in a sense that the
| main aroma compound has been isolated, is very cheap to
| synthesize [1] and it's used extensively in "truffle-
| flavoured" products.
|
| Just made some truffle-oil infused smoked mac-n-cheese.
|
| Sometimes, capitalism is _delicious_.
| hristov wrote:
| And those truffle flavored products taste terrible and are
| not at all comparable to the real thing.
| s1artibartfast wrote:
| Chocolate ice cream and dog shit are comparable, just not
| favorably for the dog
| CPLX wrote:
| Nah, they're just different. And often quite good.
| cbtacy wrote:
| Truffle oil most often contains no actual truffle. Instead,
| most uses a product like 2,4-dithiapentane which mimics the
| aromatics of truffle. Most if not all chefs hate truffle oil
| with an unholy passion.
| JumpCrisscross wrote:
| Yeah, truffle oils are the vanilla extracts to whole
| vanilla beans. Surprisingly close. But noticeably far from
| the real thing.
| johncalvinyoung wrote:
| Closer to artificial vanilla, actually.
| binarymax wrote:
| Yeah - don't buy truffle oil unless you can actually see
| truffle shavings in the oil itself. Truffles are so
| aromatic, that just a sliver can infuse a small bottle.
| eps wrote:
| _Akshually_ , natural truffle aromatics are not oil-
| soluable, so the scent still comes from the synthetics
| and shavings are there just for the decor.
| GuB-42 wrote:
| I am extremely suspicious of industrial products with
| chunks of stuff in them.
|
| If these shavings are real truffles, they are most likely
| low grade ones with little aroma, the bulk of the flavor
| being artificial. It is essentially the same as the
| "plain" product with chunks added to make it look more
| authentic. Read the label. In most countries, labels are
| regulated, chunks of stuff are not (except for food
| safety).
| causi wrote:
| Hopefully we start commoditizing everything else, like saffron.
| dwater wrote:
| The reason saffron is exotic (for Americans) is because Iran
| produces 90+% of it, and the US government wants to punish
| the Iranian government with trade sanctions.
| shaky-carrousel wrote:
| Spain is the largest saffron exporter:
|
| https://www.statista.com/statistics/1031584/global-
| leading-e...
| sushid wrote:
| Are you trying to bolstering the parent commenter's claim
| or trying to refute it? Iran does produce over 90% of the
| world's supply of saffron and we have sanctions against
| them, which obviously makes it hard for them to compete
| on the export front.
|
| https://www.statista.com/statistics/1135621/leading-
| saffron-...
| adhesive_wombat wrote:
| Maybe because of the sanctions on Iran mean that almost
| anyone else buying from them get immediately placed on a
| US blacklist.
| elil17 wrote:
| Saffron is already commoditized. It is shelf stable and,
| while it is very expensive by weight, very little weight is
| needed to flavor a dish. You can get it at most American
| supermarkets and cook with it.
| [deleted]
| cptcobalt wrote:
| My fingers are crossed for caviar. I know it's an acquired
| taste for some, but damn, it's good.
| Mikeb85 wrote:
| Caviar has been farm raised for a while now. Almost all the
| stuff on the market is farm raised. I have a tin of farm-
| raised Canadian sturgeon caviar in my fridge right now...
|
| They even have techniques to extract the eggs without killing
| the fish.
| exhilaration wrote:
| Any chance you can link to brands that "extract the eggs
| without killing the fish"?
| Mikeb85 wrote:
| Not sure about every brand (there's over 2000 caviar
| farms apparently) but a few I found:
|
| https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/features/ethical-
| caviar-fa...
|
| https://californiacaviar.com/pages/our-story
|
| https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/meet-frances-no-
| kil...
|
| Not killing the fish is an obvious way to increase the
| farm's yield so I imagine most producers are interested
| in it. Sturgeon meat isn't particularly demanded
| either...
| eps wrote:
| Sturgeon is utterly delicious. Hot-smoked sturgeon is an
| incredible delicacy and it's an absolute riot when
| grilled.
| RajT88 wrote:
| I assume you mean Sturgeon caviar.
|
| There are many kinds of fish which are used to make caviar.
| Some are more affordable than others:
|
| https://www.gourmetfoodstore.com/caviar/
|
| Myself, I really want to give Paddlefish a try. Strange
| beasts!
| yieldcrv wrote:
| and sturgeon caviar has been in abundance periodically,
| used no different than ketchup
|
| its really a great example of how people assign importance
| to things based on their price or scarcity, and that has
| nothing to do with anything related to the uniqueness or
| peculiarity of taste
| adhesive_wombat wrote:
| It's not the same except in general aesthetic but the seaweed
| pearls from IKEA are still quite fun for PS1.50 a jar.
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