KOMPAS.com – Truffles are a kitchen spice that is classified as luxurious and very expensive.
Truffles are actually a type of mushroom, but what differentiates them from other mushrooms is their unique habitat and complex growth process.
This fungus grows underground, between the roots of certain trees, making it part of the edible spore group of the family Tuberaceaein the fungal kingdom.
Also read: What Makes Truffle Mushrooms Expensive?
Why truffles are expensive
One of the main reasons why truffles are expensive is because it is difficult to obtain them. Truffles cannot be grown in ordinary gardens or fields; they only grow under certain conditions in wild forests, and the cultivation process is very complicated.
Truffles require specific environmental conditions, such as cold winters, humid springs, and warm summers with sufficient rain.
The growth process is also slow, taking up to six or seven years for the first harvest.
Also read: 7 Winter Festivals in Australia, Truffle Hunting and Alpaca Riding
Truffles are hard to find and grow only a short time
Furthermore, truffles apparently live underground, which makes them difficult for humans to find.
Therefore, truffle hunters usually train special dogs to look for them, often at night when temperatures are cooler and the scent of truffles is easier to smell. This certainly increases the level of difficulty in getting truffles.
Illustration of truffle mushroom. Black truffles, one of the most sought-after types of truffles, have a complex taste with notes of chocolate, musk, earth, wood and nuts.
There are more than 300 flavor compounds in truffles, which makes them very difficult to reproduce artificially. The most popular type of black truffle is Tuber melanosporum or also known as Perigord truffles which is often found in winter.
Also read: Often served in luxury restaurants, what are truffles?
Apart from being difficult to find and requiring a long process, the price of truffles is also determined by their short growing season.
With limited harvest time and high demand, the price of black truffles can reach more than IDR 1.6 million per ounce.
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