So Expensive

Luxury products are expensive for a reason.

High-end goods may be rare or perishable. They may require specialized craftsmanship or benefit from faddish or illusory cachet.

In the ranks of luxury indulgences, truffles rank as one of the most expensive, ephemeral pleasures. Traditionally, truffle pigs sniffed out the pricey fungi, but dogs now often do the hunting. Dogs have the added benefit that – unlike pigs – they don’t eat consume what they find. The need to harvest truffles by hand also boosts their price.

Truffles have a distinctive, delicate yet earthy flavor and require a certain climate and a setting amid specific types of trees. Some farmers have established truffle orchards by introducing truffle spores at the roots of appropriate trees, but realizing results takes more than five years. Even the most exacting conditions don’t guarantee truffles will grow.

Still, such farmed operations now provide most of the truffles people consume. This matters because climate change may endanger wild truffles. When you see truffle oil in the market, be aware that it isn’t a substitute for real truffles ...