Short harvest time and difficult cultivation: Why are truffles so expensive?

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Truffle mushroom is the most expensive and exclusive mushroom in the world. Michel De Matteis, lecturer at the hotel management school in Lausanne VD, is a big fan of truffles and explains this phenomenon.

The first reason for high prices is truffle cultivation. It cannot be grown specifically; The exact harvest yield is different every year.

Several factors are important for the development of truffles. Truffle mushrooms develop from underground spores. They extract the carbon needed for their growth from the roots of certain species called truffle trees.

It is also important that the soil is calcareous and the climate is suitable. “Winters should be dry and summers should be rainy,” says De Matteis. Truffles need about eight months underground to mature. “For example, a fungus only needs 48 hours to grow in a suitable environment.”

Not all truffles are the same

There are different types of expensive truffles. White Alba truffle is the most expensive and sought-after truffle. “This is an extraordinary product,” says Michel De Matteis. White truffles grow only in Piedmont. Harvest starts in October. Peak season is November. “Its season is really short, lasting only a few days, and it is only eaten raw.” Prices are correspondingly high: Last year, a white truffle weighing 830 grams was sold for 103,000 euros in Alba.

The good news is: you only need a little bit. A few slices are enough for an intense flavor experience. And white truffles can be kept well. But you need to know how to do it. De Matteis’ advice: “Preserve in a small saucepan with broth and grapeseed oil. This means the truffle will still smell like truffles afterwards.”

Source : Blick