the.com/truffle
a fungus so seductive that pigs were drafted into the army of desire.
means A prized edible fungus that grows underground near tree roots, hunted by trained pigs or dogs and treasured by chefs for its intense aroma; also the round chocolate confection named for its resemblance.
from From French 'truffe,' which likely passed through Old Provençal 'trufa' and ultimately traces to Latin 'tuber,' meaning a swelling, lump, or underground knob — the same root that gives us 'tuber' for potatoes and other buried bulges. The chocolate truffle borrows the name centuries later, because the lumpy, cocoa-dusted sphere looks like the unearthed fungus.
- price
- White Alba can top $4,000 per pound
- underground
- grows entirely buried at tree roots
- pig problem
- sows eat them before hunters can dig
- scent trick
- mimics a boar sex pheromone
- now dogs
- trained dogs replaced unreliable hungry pigs
white alba truffle — italian luxury fungus, can sell for €160,000 per kilogram at auction
oregon black truffle — north american species, harvested in pacific northwest forests since 1970s