Said to have aphrodisiac properties, this fragile species is suffering from drought on Southern European farms and will continue to suffer if predicted temperature increases come to fruition.

But as Southern farms are suffering, some Northern plantations are thriving from the increase in temperature (truffles are very sensitive to both frost and drought). But by the end of the century, scientists predict that in Toulose, France, temperatures will exceed 95 degrees F on 25-55 days out of the year (currently, it's only that hot about four days out of the year).

Apparently the pressures and rivalry that come with being one of Britain's leading chocolatiers sometimes cause men to do strange things. Witness the case of Barry Colenso, the erstwhile master chocolatier of the prestigious Thorntons who was forced to resign after a "truffle-squishing" incident at a rival store.

That's right folks. We said, gasp, "truffle squishing." Actually it's no laughing matter. The man who has been likened to Willy Wonka and who you see standing before a chocolate billboard he created last Easter went on a truffle vandalism spree at rival store Hotel Chocolat where he mangled some $130 of confections. Store staff knew something was up when they noticed him pawing at the various truffles. Hotel Chocolat issued a statement saying, "This was an extraordinary act of truffle-squishing. We can only guess at what provoked it."

I know said something about this not being a laughing matter, after all it was highly unprofessional behavior, but I can't help thinking of the scene in Tampopo where the elderly female shopper roams through a store squeezing and destroying a wide array of items. It also begs the question, did they sell the damaged goods at a lower price or remake them or what? Personally, I'm not above eating a squished truffle or two.

[via Boing Boing]

Enric Rovira Chocolates has a line of chocolate drink accents that are designed to perch on the rim of a cocktail or a glass of champagne, providing and indulgent touch to the drink. The accents are very dark chocolate truffles (70% cacao) with carefully carved notches that are the width of the average champagne glass. They were originally intended to complement cava, a Catalonian sparkling wine, but will work with other sparkling wines, liqueurs or chocolate cocktails. The accents would be a beautiful touch at the end of a romantic dinner for two and would definitely make a splash at a New Year's Eve party!

Imported from Spain, these chocolates are sold at Dean and Deluca for $25 per box (20 pieces), but you can probably make up some yourself by carefully cutting a small slit into regular, cocoa-coated chocolate truffles. Just make sure to knock the excess cocoa off first to prevent any loose cocoa from falling into your cocktail.

If you attend enough holiday parties, you are eventually going to encounter those little chocolate bottles that are filled with a teaspoon or two of various liquors. The most popular bottles seem to be the ones filled with Grand Marnier, Kahlua, Southern Comfort or another fairly sweet spirit, but you'll find chocolates with everything from vodka to tequila, as well. Frankly, while they are fun and a little bit more "adult" than some of the usual holiday candies, they are not exactly the highest quality treats you'll eat this season. Perhaps a better alternative would be a box of wine filled truffles. They are more indulgent, richer and ultimately more satisfying than popping a quarter shot of tequila into your mouth. The truffles are enrobed in smooth dark chocolate and are filled with your choice of either cabernet, chardonnay, port or champagne. A dozen truffles come in each box and, at $25 per box, they would make a nice change of pace from the standard bottle of wine as a holiday hostess gift.

White truffles may be in season, but the theme of this month's Sugar High Friday, the popular sweets-oriented food blogging event, was the more chocolaty - and perhaps more indulgent - type of truffle. The roundup of all the participating blogs was just put up by Johanna, the passionate cook and host of this edition of the event. If you want to try your hand at making truffles, all of the entries will provide lots of inspiration. Some of the recipes include Hazelnut Nougat Truffles, S'mores Truffles, Kahlua Truffles, Strawberry Balsamic Truffles (which use dehydrated berries for flavor) and Salted Caramel Fudge Hearts, just to name a handful. The black on black truffles pictured above were made by Veronica's Test Kitchen and are a classic truffle recipe, using high quality chocolate, cream and a little bit of butter. The truffles are rolled on cocoa powder to keep them from sticking together, as well as to simulate the earth that the other kind of truffles are found in.

There might be things more indulgent than chocolate truffles, but the rich, simple treats are probably the epitome (or close to it) of pleasure for a chocolate-lover. The truffles pictured here were made by Johanna, of thepassionatecook, who is hosting this month's round of the food blogging event, Sugar High Friday. SHF celebrates all things sweet and dessert-y, and because it is the season to indulge a bit more than usual, chocolate truffles are the perfect choice for a theme. The only catch is that you have to make your own truffles - you can't go out and buy them. Fortunately, truffles are easy to make and once you have mastered the technique, you can experiment by adding flavors to make them more interesting. I like to coat the truffles in cocoa powder, as Johanna did for hers, but if you're feeling particularly motivated, melting some chocolate and giving the centers a crisp coating will make them look like you actually did go out and buy them. The deadline for the event is November 24th, so read the intro post to find out how to participate.

I should really have warned any chocoholics to avert their eyes before reading this post because this ultra-rich chocolate truffle layer cake, photographed by Lori of Dessert Comes First, is one of the most tempting chocolate desserts in the blogosphere. The cake is from a bakery in Manila called "In Love With Sweets" and they have garnered themselves many fans with this cake. A bestseller, the cake is dense and very, very rich. It has four layers of cake and a very thick, truffle-like fudge frosting that melts into your mouth. The whole thing is topped with a chocolate truffle, but if you have a chance to indulge in this cake, you might want to eat the truffle first, because you won't have room for it if you've able to finish off a whole slice of cake.

For the Mom who's a fashionista as well as a chocoholic, these chocolates from Moonstruck Chocolate Co. could be just the right thing for Mother's Day. Each of the eight truffles in the ribboned box is shaped like a little bonnet. Handmade and adorned with tiny edible flowers, the adorable confections come in four flavors: raspberry frappe, summermint tea, lemon mousse and orange mousse, all of which are fittingly summery. It's $24 for eight candies, but they're so unique that it's a gift Mom will surely appreciate.

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.

When I saw these angelic little truffles staring at me during the last day of the Portland Farmer's Market, I knew I'd love them. So first I tasted a bite of the coffee truffle from Hot Chefs, to work up to it. Good. But not explosive. I waited for a customer to finish her purchase and grabbed a chunk. It melted on my tongue so slowly, releasing a powerfully spicy flavor of fresh gingerroot, nutty coconut. I'm savoring it in my memory still and it's been almost a week. It's the ultimate holiday treat.

[Photo Sarah Gilbert]