The Truffle Kerfuffle

Matt Brennan The Most expensive fungus on earth, truffles are the international delicacy which makes Masterchefs Matt Preston swoon like he is at a Justin Bieber concert (its a given that he has a bad case of Bieber Fever). It was the 19th Century French gastronomer, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, who authored the best-selling food publication (at the time) The Physiology of Taste which included the famous quote of tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are, which was later summarised and expressed in a less roundabout way you are what you eat. Brillat-Savarin is also accredited for the befitting description of truffles being the diamonds of cooking. Not just a girls best friend, these diamonds have captured the imagination of the entire food community, without being restricted to the chauffeur driven world of operas, tiny hors deouvres and nervous champagne fuelled laughter. The white truffle is the most expensive (inflated by its rarity and the nature of charity auction bidding) but to connoisseurs, the black truffle deserves the spotlight. Black Perigold (the region in France they were first discovered in) truffles grow through the trunk of the host tree (in Europe traditionally hazelnut trees) being infected by the tuber melanosporum fungus. The two organisms feed off each other in a mutually beneficial relationship throughout the winter, and the end result is beautiful (in the same sense as abstract art) bulbs ranging in size from golf ball to grape fruit, that consistently manage to fetch astronomical prices in the fine-dining market.

The prized Australian black truffle is sold from upwards of $1700 a Kg. Source: Google Images Pigs are still used in Europe and plant biologist Dr Francis Martin informed the New York Times that the reason sows are commonly used is because black truffles secrete the boar (male pig) hormone androstenol. This aroma gets even stronger closer to harvest time which makes the pig an ideal candidate for truffle hunting. Interestingly enough, this same hormone is also found in the sweat of human males, and those males with hyper-active sweat glands should rejoice, as sweating like a pig could be the surest way in Doc Martins words (he may have been referring to pigs at the time), to drive females crazy.

The Mediterranean regions of Europe where truffles are grown are also home to some of the worlds most sought after labels of wine. It doesnt come as a surprise then, that Western Australia, whom account for 10% of the worlds premium wine market (despite only producing 1% of the worlds wine volume according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics), are swiftly moving in on the truffle market. Due to the limited post-harvest life of truffles (consensus from leading institutions indicates 10-14days) making long term storage not an option, combined with the diametrically opposed seasons between the northern and southern hemispheres, gives the Australian winter truffle cart blanch on the world stage. Research from the Australian Growers Association estimated that 4.5 tons of truffles were exported in 2012, which represents a staggering 80% of production. The Australian truffles cannot get to the shores of China, the US and Western Europe quick enough. However, it should be noted that French imports are considerably far less than their EU counterparts, possibly due to the fact that Australian truffles are farmed and not wild (Australian trees are infected with the tuber melanosporum fungus under laboratory conditions). As there are few alternatives to Australian truffles on a hot August day in France, signs of a gradual adoption of the Australian truffle are expressed through a steady (very steady), increase in Australian truffle imports in recent years. The largest producer of truffles in Australia, the Wine & Truffle Company in Manjimup, Western Australia, has only been in operation since 1997. The Wine & truffle company began with a fascinating encounter between Nick Malajczuk, a former CSIRO scientist, meeting his future business partner and former test cricketer (three tests against England in 1974) Wally Edwards, at their sons cricket match. They both saw a tremendous opportunity and planted a combination of 13,000 oak and hazelnut trees across 21 hectares of prime Manjimup territory. Success did not come instantly at first. They had to endure eight years of doubt and hefty losses until the first boom harvest finally occurred in 2005. Ever since the glory harvest of 2005, their business has been flourishing, thanks to a diligent team of workers which notably include Labrador, Beagle and Kelpie X Labrador sniffer dogs (some of whom are actually ex-customs dogs), who traipse their way along the 42km plot of trees during harvest season in search of the prized fungus. The Wine & Truffle Co. in a statement said they prefer using dogs (over pigs) as they are easier to train. The word train is the quintessential difference between deploying dogs instead of pigs to search for truffles, as searching for truffles comes naturally to sows, and from the findings above, they will not hesitate to devour the $2,000/Kg snack if left unattended for a very short period of time. At present, the black truffle is not a CIY (cultivate it yourself) investment, which means the dream of combining business and pleasure is limited to a small, knowledgeable community scattered across parts of the globe that have very similar climatic conditions and soil attributes. This helps maintain the allure of Black truffles, and ensures only the finest truffles will ever dance on the palate of a foodie (arguably the fussiest of all types of critics imaginable). The black truffle is the key to the culinary world, and chefs around the world are still unlocking the doors to gastronomic innovations that would not be possible without this distinguished fungus. Jean Anthelme Brillat Savarin himself, amongst the most notable of foodies in his era, was likely referring to truffles when he famously wrote the discovery of a new dish confers more happiness on humanity, than the discovery of a new star.