AR ZONE
HUNTING FOR TRUFFLES
How these culinary treasures grow underground
WORDS SCOTT DUTFIELD
Shaved over pasta or blended in a sauce, truffles have become a foodstuff celebrated by chefs all around the world. This small fungus, sometimes referred to as the fragrant diamond or black pearl, is one of the most sought-after ingredients in the world of gastronomy and has built a global market worth billions of dollars. However, while some truffles sit on the kitchen counters of the world’s most elegant restaurants, others are nestled beneath the soil of oak woodlands.
The reason why truffles are so desired and expensive – over £1,000 ($1,180) per kilogram for black truffles (Tuber melanosporum) – is largely due to their scarcity and the particular requirements needed to cultivate them. Truffles aren’t just any kind of mushroom; they are the fruits of a type of fungi called mycorrhizae. Much like the fruits that hang from trees, truffles bear the seeds of the fungus, called spores, which it releases to continue the species’ life cycle. Truffles grow underground beneath the first few centimetres of soil, unlike the mushroom species that sprout up on the surface. One of the main differences between mycorrhizae and other fungi is the way they obtain nutrients.