"perigord" news and stories

Remember that truffle contest I told you all about earlier this month? Well, holy crap! Our reader Scott won! How amazing is that? Congratulations!! It just goes to show you that when these things come around, it doesn't hurt to try -- especially when winning gives you a whole 1/4 lb of truffles!

Scott won Black Winter Truffles (aka Perigord, black diamond) which are durable, slightly bigger and tougher, and best used fresh. (However, that doesn't mean that you can't freeze them!) These are the little guys that thrive when you cook them -- unlike white truffles that will dance on your tastebuds raw, black truffles are great for cooking, especially with cook times that give the truffle time to blend with other flavors.

One of the most beloved and rampant uses of truffles in the home is eggs. Just about every truffle piece I've ever read talks about the magic that happens when truffles come in contact with eggs -- and thinking about how good truffle oil is in eggs, I can just imagine! Truffle butter is also a good idea -- you can whip it up and put it on anything and everything, rather than paying a steep price of $50 for your own. Perhaps a rub inside fowl? Pappardelle? With vegetables?

Basically, Scott, go wild with simple and rich flavors that will be improved with the earthy flavor of the truffle. But if you want even more ideas, check here and here, you lucky duck, you! And Slashfood readers -- please share your tips and beloved recipes. We have to help him on this delicious truffle experience!

In China, many products are produced at prices much lower than they are in other countries, but until recently, agriculture was not subject to the same type of mass industrialization. Now, it appears that China is muscling in on the truffle market, something that the French are not too happy about. France has a 45% share of the truffle market and their fungi cost an average of more than $500 per pound. Two new Chinese varieties of truffles cost more than 90% less - $28 per pound. The director of Yunri foods, a Chinese company that sells the truffles, said that they sell over 20 tons of truffles and mushrooms a year, mostly to the United States, United Kingdom and France.

A representative from the French Federation of Truffle Growers said that there were marked differences in the quality of the truffles, despite the fact that they look almost identical to the pricier Perigord variety. "It's a problem of aroma and of quality consistency." Truffle aficionados, predictably, state that the French version is unquestionably superior, but the real question is whether the average consumer would find the French truffles to be 90% better than the much less expensive Chinese ones.

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