Truffles, of course

To your point, I recently purchased 1 ounce of T. magnatum for ~$400 CAD through a high end Italian grocery chain in Toronto that had purchased through Urbani. However, when I asked the seller if it was T. magnum they looked very confused and shrugged – they did not know about the different species.

I am probably reading too much into this, but I think it is a sign that North Americans are relatively new to truffles and don’t know (or care) about the different species and their hierarchal nature (T. mag being the most esteemed, followed by T. Mel.)  This could be a great opportunity to grow and market species that will thrive in North American climates and soils, instead of trying to change our environments to accommodate European species. It might make life easier for the truffle farmer and more profitable.

Rowan’s talk certainly made me rethink and appreciate diverse truffle species more. I also wonder if the days of T.mel and T. mag being the main marketed truffle species are limited.

I did not understand Rowan great presentation that way. What I understood when he talk about diversity was to recognize all the other species of truffles the US have (pecans, appalachian, oregon…) and to bring them at the same level than T. melanosporum or T. magnatum. He is all about breaking the stuffiness of the old world tradition, and I could not agree more with him.

He is about educating and clarity and accuracy. He is certainly not about confusing the consumer and I am pretty sure he is about “calling an apple an apple” and he would discourage all attempts at inventing new names.

California wine were successful at affirming themselves in the world and to be recognized as fair competitors to the Bordeaux and the Bourgognes, without having to reject its european origins. Truffle are the same. We can evolve and develop our own identity without having to reject our origins. We can be vibrant, endorse diversity, and accessible by standing on the shoulder of the old world.

This is a very important discussion and if you are ok, I would like to transpose it on the forum so that the community could contribute. Fran and Brian I have your permission to transpose this content?