60 Minutes Reports - The Pricey Underbelly of Truffles

[Rambo]

Ran into this today and thought you guys might find it interesting:

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7394364n&tag=contentMain;cbsCarousel

 

[gettoasty]

Watched it during the original airing

Only thing I got out of it was: 'Damn Chinese!'

(I am Chinese)

And the fact I would like to try it someday - the truffle

 

[Joffrey]

I have tried french fries fried in truffle oil. I shrugged.

 

[Bhowie]



I have tried french fries fried in truffle oil. I shrugged.

Not the same thing. I shrugged.

 

[itsstillmatt]



I have tried french fries fried in truffle oil. I shrugged.

They aren't fried in truffle oil, they are fried normally and then tossed with a little truffle oil. It is one of ksilk's favorite dishes.

Or, as bhowie said, not the same thing.

FWIW, truffle production is believed to be on the increase now in France. One of our neighbors there is a major truffle producer/hunter, and he said that a big reason for the decrease over the last 75 years is that it has always been a secret business with knowledge handed down, and when so many of the men from the agricultural regions of France died in the wars, a lot of the secret knowledge was lost. Now that we have better science on these things, a lot of that ground has been regained. No idea if it is true, but I've been through his orchard with him a few times, and dug a bunch up and listened to his explanations about which trees and why. It is pretty fascinating.

 

[otc]

I lolled at the pigs

fatasses just want to eat a truffle too

 

[JayJay]

I saw it on 60 Minutes Sunday evening. It was the first time I'd heard about the Chinese truffles.

 

[b1os]

^ You definitely should pay more attention to this subforum!

 

[impolyt_one]

I've been eating a lot of those Chinese black truffles here in Japan, they make for cheap plates with a hit of truffle. The texture of them folded into rice is better than having no truffles at all, so I say go.
I had a dinner once where it was all black Perigords, and yeah those things do a number on you and you'll be tasting them all night into the next day... the Chinese ones are just a slight hit of truffle aroma and flavor. I don't think they taste bad, really, but they're one tenth the price of the French ones, and taste about that way. They're like the McDonald's of truffles. (coincidentally, Wendy's came back to Japan a couple weeks ago and they are putting truffles on everything, true story)

 

[kwilkinson]



It is one of ksilk's favorite dishes.