Why Are Truffles So Expensive?

Rare and precious, difficult to find and even more difficult to cultivate, ephemeral because it loses its qualities after a very short time: the truffle is a truly unique product. It is a hypogeal fungus belonging to the Tuber family —in fact, at first glance, it might look like a tuber—and hides underground near the roots of certain trees such as oaks, sessile oaks, poplars, chestnuts, hazelnuts, holm oaks, hornbeams, willows, and lime trees.

There are at least 60 different species of truffle, only nine of which are edible. Among the best-known varieties are certainly the prized white truffle, the prized black truffle, but also the bianchetto, the rossette, the moscato, the uncinato, and the scorzone, all of which can be used in a wide variety of recipes.

Its odor is very strong, a characteristic that science believes is part of a recognition and attraction mechanism established between the fruiting body of the mushroom and the animals that feed on it when ripe. This is precisely why dogs are used to search for truffles: thanks to their highly developed sense of smell and training, they find the precious product even if it is well hidden.

Around the the world, truffle hunting is famous in Tasmania, New Zealand, the United States (though mostly cultivated), Canada, and China. The United Kingdom is also experiencing a truffle hunting revival, driven in part by climate change that is making the terrain more favorable.

Its smell is unmistakable and its intense flavor lends itself to many different recipes, but this is not the only reason why the truffle is famous: in fact, just like caviar, it is an extremely valuable food that can reach truly dizzying selling prices.

How Much Does a Truffle Cost on Average per Kilo and What Does It Depend On?

Before delving into the cost of truffles, let's clarify that not all truffles are super expensive, even if you're probably used to associating this product with sky-high prices. In reality, only the most prized and rare varieties are so expensive, because the price of truffles depends on so many different factors and is therefore not fixed, but variable.

According to market data from recent years, average truffle prices range from a minimum of $100/kg for the black summer truffle to nearly $3,500-4,650/kg for the prized white truffle. The larger and rarer the truffle, the higher the price, reaching prices of €184,000 and €103,000, achieved by two particularly large Italian white truffles, donated entirely to charity.

One of the factors that primarily affects the price of truffles is their seasonality: truffles are only found during specific periods of the year (usually autumn, but it depends on the type), and this already determines their rarity. Furthermore, it must be considered that even within the same season, not all years are the same, and the same soil can yield more or less depending on the environmental and climatic factors that influence it. Therefore, the price of truffles will also vary based on the abundance of annual production.

Added to this is another factor that determines the market price of truffles: their high perishability. Truffles have a very short shelf life: after just a few hours out of the ground, their aroma has halved, losing the intense flavor that makes them so beloved. Therefore, if fresh, the product must be consumed very quickly to maintain its original quality; it can also be frozen, processed, or preserved in oil, but in any case, it will still lose something compared to the fresh product.

Price is also influenced by the rarity of the product, which doesn't grow everywhere in the world, and the rarity of the species. Not all truffles grow equally abundantly: the white truffle and the prized black truffle are the rarest types, and therefore command sky-high prices, while varieties like the black summer truffle are more common and therefore less sought-after.

The organoleptic characteristics of each type of truffle also have a specific impact. For example, the aforementioned black summer truffle is less intense than other varieties, as is the bianchetto truffle; the white truffle, on the other hand, has a very intense and pungent aroma that makes it more distinctive. Other specific characteristics also play a role in determining a truffle's high quality, including its intense aroma and texture.

Another factor that affects truffle prices is the difficulty of harvesting them. First and foremost, hunting for truffles requires knowledge, experience, and the help of dogs trained to recognize the product's distinctive odor, and even then, hunting doesn't always ensure a plentiful harvest.

Furthermore, in the U.S., the harvesting and sale of truffles has been regulated by state-level legislation necessitated by the increase in harvesting and the spread of environmentally unfriendly practices. According to these laws, if you're hunting for truffles on federal lands (like national forests) you're going to need a permit that will distinguish between personal use and commercial harvesting.

Truffle hunting is free in private land, but there are generally controlled and private truffle grounds, which however must be duly authorized, delimited and signposted.

Why Does White Truffle Cost More?

As we mentioned, the most expensive truffle variety in the world is the prized white truffle: it is usually this type that commands the highest prices. But why does this particular variety cost so much?

Mainly because the prized white truffle is the rarest truffle of all and grows only in regions with specific climatic and environmental characteristics. In the U.S., it is found only in certain areas particularly suited to its growth, such as Oregon, Washington State and parts of Northern California.

Furthermore, white truffles have superior organoleptic properties to any other variety. Their intense aroma and flavor require great care: just a few slivers are enough to enhance a dish.

The price of white truffles is also driven up by the consistent demand, the quantity of truffles found during the season, the degree of ripeness of the specimen, its size, the difficulty of harvesting and the quality of the truffle found, which depends on several specific characteristics that it must possess to be considered valuable.

Beware of "Grocery Store" Products

Further complicating the issue of truffle prices are the presence of "grocery store" or counterfeit products. Indeed, it is common to find products like truffle cheese or oil on the shelves of megastores at very low prices.

The advice is to check very carefully: it could be a less valuable variety of truffle, of course, but sometimes it is a company that uses truffle infusions or extracts, or in the worst case, synthetic compounds that contain one of the aromatic compounds of the truffle, but which have nothing to do with the real product.

Even though it's the least valuable variety, real truffles and products derived from them still have a cost, which is due to all the factors explained above. Therefore, be wary of "commercial" products and, if you want to experience all the goodness of real truffles, turn to authorized and certified traders or retailers.