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[Oracle]

It's not true that dogs don't eat the truffles they find.

Our Labrador dug some up near our Oak trees and demolished most of the source before we pulled her away leaving enough to show our French neighbours, who confirmed our (potential gold mine) discovery ...

[journo]

There are many different kinds of truffles - including black truffles and pale beige coloured ones.

They all have subtly different flavours with some tasting a little like mushroom. They are even found in the deserts of Arabia after rain (well, what very little rain there is there!).

Dogs are trained to locate truffles (by smell) and some countries use pigs and or boar to find them.

The price of truffles really comes from the fact that the season for finding them tends to be very short, and you don't have 'truffle farms' growing them in vast quanties. ie you're paying for 'scarcity value'. The best fresh truffles can sometimes sell for euros2000 (yes, two thousand euros) a kilo!

[insan]

Halil should know abt this delicacy... Reh Halil gardaş, do we have truffel anywhere in Cyprus? It seems that truffle is something unique to mediterannean region... Though the black ones can be found in US?

[Nikitas]

Black truffle is found mostly in France. White truffles in the Savoy region, mostly the Italian side.

CBBB, the taste of truffle, especially truffle oil definitely has the pungency of garlic. The Oil is horrid stuff having something of the whiff of burnt rubber. I bought a bottle at an upmarket deli in Milan and all the people who smelled it agreed it was horrid. I gave it to an Italian friend who thought it was heavenly. Like I said, there is no accounting for taste.

Purdey, I would never insult the flavor of Woodcock with truffle. Dilligent roasting and the entrails sauteed with cognac and served on toast is plenty tasty for me.

For those that want to go after truffles, the place in Cyprus would be hardwood forests, in the south (partitionists eat your hearts out!!!!), the north with its spindly maquis vegetation would not be the place for truffles. Look for the tell tale fly that hovers over a spot about three to four feet from the root of an oak or hazel. The fly apparently is attracted to the scent of truffle emanating from the soil. Dig straight under the hover spot of the fly. That is if you do not have a dog or pig to oblige you.

Now think, would you want to eat stuff that drives dogs and pigs crazy?

In the delicacy scales truffles rank waaaaayyyyy below ambelopoulia, poulles, oysters and other wholesome and tasty foods, even the lowly sheftalia are tastier than this peculiar fungus.

[CBBB]

Very interesting, indeed. It's the first time I've heard abt this delicacy.

You bastard Insan!!! I am sitting here drooling after watching that, now I will have to go to the delicatessen and see if they have some.

[Nikitas]

Hear the guy in the video answer the question "what does it smell like?"

Response: "garlic, maybe garlic and honey and pepper."

Now think of garlic honey and pepper on your omelette!