The Treasured Tuber
Oregon’s annual festival celebrates the elusive, mysterious and incredibly delicious truffle.
By Shelly Steig
I pawed at the ground delicately with a three-pronged rake then used my bare hands to sift through the loam and fallen Douglas Fir needles. I’d been on a treasure hunt for more than an hour not far from Eugene, Ore., in the cold, misting rain. Mud covered my boots, knees and hands, and I shivered with the chill. Ready to give up, I bent close to the ground once again … and there it was—a small nugget. The treasure I held in my hand was not mineral but a white truffle, one of the most prized culinary treasures in the world.
A Gathering of Gourmands
My foray was one of the field trips offered at the Oregon Truffle Festival, an annual celebration that takes place during peak winter-harvest time. The state is the center of truffle research outside of Europe and is populated with gourmands who are passionate about their palates.
2011's celebration, from Jan. 28–30, will welcome hundreds of aficionados from Oregon and across the globe to Eugene's festival headquarters, the Valley River Inn. Attendees can listen to lectures and participate in growing and cultivating workshops and dog-training seminars. A representative from Mondo Tartufo, Italy’s best known truffle association, will also be on hand to explain the complex aromatic changes that truffles undergo as they ripen.
Festivalgoers will be wined and dined with sumptuous and memorable meals that showcase Oregon’s white and black truffles. Friday’s “SLOW: The Taste of Authenticity” dinner features speaker Douglas Gayeton, author of Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town. At the Grand Truffle Dinner on Saturday, celebrated Pacific Northwest chefs create a delectable five-course meal, which is paired with local wines. The festival also features a Sunday marketplace with vendors selling gourmet goods, truffle oils and butters, and of course, truffles.
The Treasured Tuber
(Continued)
The Humble Fungus
Truffles are basically upscale mushrooms that grow underground near fir, hazelnut and oak trees. The fabulously fragrant yet elusive tubers are notoriously difficult to scientifically reproduce, which makes them even more valuable. The appetizing fungus regenerates naturally through a most unappetizing process. Animals ingest truffle spores, digest them, then egest them in the form of scat. The truffles grow just beneath the ground surface, near a tree’s roots.
There are three varieties of truffles: black, white and brown, with the white being the most prized. Truffles look like a dirty, lumpy potato but emit volatile oils that give them their irresistible aroma. For centuries, pigs were used to sniff out truffles, but they went, ahem, hog wild over the tasty tuber. These days, dogs are the favored hunter because they don’t damage, or eat, the newfound treasure.
Not a Trifle for a Truffle
Rumored to be an aphrodisiac and surrounded by mystique, truffles can cost up to $1,500 per pound. In 2007, a Hong Kong businessman even paid more than $330,000 for a record-breaking 3.3-pound Italian white truffle.
Such a serious price tag and the fact that truffles are highly perishable can intimidate even the most serious cook. However, the gastronomic life of the tuber can be extended by infusing eggs, oils, butter and mayonnaise with the truffle’s enticing musky scent. Because a little goes a long way, truffles can also be lightly shaved onto potatoes, eggs and other dishes.
Jessica MacMurray Blaine, team member at the nationally lauded local restaurant Marche, said, “Cooking with truffles need not be complicated at all. They’re one of those things that are best treated simply.”
Planning Your Trip
For more information about the Oregon Truffle Festival, call (503) 296-5929 or go towww.oregontrufflefestival.com. To learn about Eugene, call (800) 547-5445 or visitwww.travellanecounty.org. For trip-planning assistance, contact your AAA Travel agent orAAA.com/travel.
SHELLY STEIG is a freelance writer from Parker, Colo.
Published: Dec 01, 2010
Oregon’s annual festival celebrates the elusive, mysterious and incredibly delicious truffle.
By Shelly Steig
I pawed at the ground delicately with a three-pronged rake then used my bare hands to sift through the loam and fallen Douglas Fir needles. I’d been on a treasure hunt for more than an hour not far from Eugene, Ore., in the cold, misting rain. Mud covered my boots, knees and hands, and I shivered with the chill. Ready to give up, I bent close to the ground once again … and there it was—a small nugget. The treasure I held in my hand was not mineral but a white truffle, one of the most prized culinary treasures in the world.
A Gathering of Gourmands
My foray was one of the field trips offered at the Oregon Truffle Festival, an annual celebration that takes place during peak winter-harvest time. The state is the center of truffle research outside of Europe and is populated with gourmands who are passionate about their palates.
2011's celebration, from Jan. 28–30, will welcome hundreds of aficionados from Oregon and across the globe to Eugene's festival headquarters, the Valley River Inn. Attendees can listen to lectures and participate in growing and cultivating workshops and dog-training seminars. A representative from Mondo Tartufo, Italy’s best known truffle association, will also be on hand to explain the complex aromatic changes that truffles undergo as they ripen.
Festivalgoers will be wined and dined with sumptuous and memorable meals that showcase Oregon’s white and black truffles. Friday’s “SLOW: The Taste of Authenticity” dinner features speaker Douglas Gayeton, author of Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town. At the Grand Truffle Dinner on Saturday, celebrated Pacific Northwest chefs create a delectable five-course meal, which is paired with local wines. The festival also features a Sunday marketplace with vendors selling gourmet goods, truffle oils and butters, and of course, truffles.
The Treasured Tuber
(Continued)
The Humble Fungus
Truffles are basically upscale mushrooms that grow underground near fir, hazelnut and oak trees. The fabulously fragrant yet elusive tubers are notoriously difficult to scientifically reproduce, which makes them even more valuable. The appetizing fungus regenerates naturally through a most unappetizing process. Animals ingest truffle spores, digest them, then egest them in the form of scat. The truffles grow just beneath the ground surface, near a tree’s roots.
There are three varieties of truffles: black, white and brown, with the white being the most prized. Truffles look like a dirty, lumpy potato but emit volatile oils that give them their irresistible aroma. For centuries, pigs were used to sniff out truffles, but they went, ahem, hog wild over the tasty tuber. These days, dogs are the favored hunter because they don’t damage, or eat, the newfound treasure.
Not a Trifle for a Truffle
Rumored to be an aphrodisiac and surrounded by mystique, truffles can cost up to $1,500 per pound. In 2007, a Hong Kong businessman even paid more than $330,000 for a record-breaking 3.3-pound Italian white truffle.
Such a serious price tag and the fact that truffles are highly perishable can intimidate even the most serious cook. However, the gastronomic life of the tuber can be extended by infusing eggs, oils, butter and mayonnaise with the truffle’s enticing musky scent. Because a little goes a long way, truffles can also be lightly shaved onto potatoes, eggs and other dishes.
Jessica MacMurray Blaine, team member at the nationally lauded local restaurant Marche, said, “Cooking with truffles need not be complicated at all. They’re one of those things that are best treated simply.”
Planning Your Trip
For more information about the Oregon Truffle Festival, call (503) 296-5929 or go towww.oregontrufflefestival.com. To learn about Eugene, call (800) 547-5445 or visitwww.travellanecounty.org. For trip-planning assistance, contact your AAA Travel agent orAAA.com/travel.
SHELLY STEIG is a freelance writer from Parker, Colo.
Published: Dec 01, 2010