Truffle…this little jewel in the shape of a globule that everyone loves, with its very fragrant taste that accompanies our most delicious dishes! This mushroom can produce several truffles. Some species of this mushroom are one of the tastiest and therefore some of the most requested around the world, yes! This marvel is particularly appreciated since antiquity.
Truffe Culture: It grows in the France region
The truffle is produced in France in the Provence region and more broadly in the South-East, Vaucluse, Alpes de Haute Provence and Drôme are the three main departments where production takes place.
The mushroom is called “Rabasse” in the Provence region. In fact, the most sumptuous truffle markets are in this region.
The truffle is produced in Dordogne, Midi-Pyrenees, and Languedoc-Roussillon. In Dordogne, the black truffle of Perigord is the most famous!
The Chinese truffle
But the consumer is at stake, through his act of purchase he expects a quality product and he is ready to pay the price to afford such a prestige … which is the one to taste this mushroom known by its rarity but also by its incomparable perfume!
Four years ago, a kilo of Chinese truffles cost 57 euros, a price that has risen dramatically in the last ten years, given the increased demand from agri-food industries. The Chinese truffle is actually used in the pâté and truffle oil’s manufacture.
What is the difference between Chinese and classic truffles?
Chinese plants are similar to black truffles, which encourages some salespeople to benefit from this confusion and to mislead the consumer. But little revealing detail! The texture of the Chinese truffle has finer and tight veins and is firm compared to the classic truffle.
Tips for savoring the best truffles
To recognize a good quality truffle, just check his veins. The Chinese truffle is consumed generally raw. If the product is canned, it can be cooked. Eat there on bread or biscuits … Yummy!
Ask a gourmet what truffle he uses to cook: He will definitely not tell you the Chinese truffle: Because he thinks it is simply tasteless! Artificial flavors are added to Chinese truffles so that they have the taste and scent of the classic truffle.
The Chinese are new in this area and therefore are less knowledgeable than the Westerners, here are the words of a Chinese truffle farmer: “Before, I did not know the truffles, but one day they showed me and I was so happy when I found my first truffle, I had the impression of finding a diamond, “said Wei Chen.
Strong demand
If we go back ten years, we will see that nobody ate truffles in China. A little anecdote: The peasants let their pigs wander and feed on truffles so they did not know the plant’s value! Today’s truffle has become very popular, even in the Middle Kingdom. But the Chinese still eat it as a mushroom, unlike French do as an herb.
French imports of chilled or fresh truffles were 12 and increased to 13.36 million Euro in 2016. They represent 97,777 tonnes in volume in 2016.
The main supplier: Spain with 10 million Euro,
Italy: 2 million euros,
Australia: 400,000 Euro,
China: 300,000 euros
The market share in value was:
• 74% for Spain,
• 4% for China
• 3% for Italy.
The average price in Euro of the imported truffle (kg):
From China: 110 Euro,
137 Euro for Spain and Italy,
263 Euro for Australia.
Internationalization
In general, supply fell slightly in France: (32 tonnes in 2010), Spain (8 tonnes) in Italy (9 tonnes). The reason is urbanization and drought. Good news for the Tuber melanosporum: Italian and French researchers have been able to decipher the genome, something that makes it easier to know what it is full of secrets. And therefore fight against counterfeiting.
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