Food Trends: Truffle - Essay Example

Trends, White Truffle and Future of Culinary White truffles are rare mushrooms that grow in Alba, Italy and are availablein October. The rare mushrooms are some of the luxury menu items that make up the exquisite menu of high-end restaurants. White truffles have a unique aroma and are growm through the method of foraging by pigs. There are industry trends that are affecting the presence of white truffles in fashionable restaurants, and they might affect the future of culinary. The price of importing the truffles from Italy to restaurants has increased with time.

Many fashionable restaurants will be compelled to do without the white truffles in their menu. The restaurants might lose moneyed clientele who frequent the outlets to enjoy the delicacy of rare mushrooms. Ozersky indicates that there is an increasing demand in white truffles in many parts of the globe, but there is harvest is not sufficient to quench the appetite of mushroom diners around the world. The production from Alba has been affected by global warming and leeching of fungicides in the soil.

Truffles will soon be phased out of culinary scene if the decline in quality and quantity continues. Chefs cannot fake or formulate white truffle from other mushrooms strains lest they interfere with meals and the subsequent expectations of mushroom diners. Moreover, the number of diners who are ready to pay at least $2000 for a white truffle delicacy is declining given the status of the economy. Recession and movement towards local food are affecting the culinary scene. White truffle lovers are turning to local foods, and the trend will lead to a decline in the market of white truffle.

Therefore, white truffles might become optional menu items in the culinary scene. The inability of customers to grow white truffle in their domestic gardens will set a new movement that does not adore the mystique of the rare mushroom. Additionally, consumers are considering an abundance of American fungi as the perfect substitute for the mushrooms during offseason. White truffles have no replacement in the culinary world, and they will lose demand in due time. The future of culinary is set to consider mass production of food items to reduce the cost of production and the ultimate price charged to the consumers.

Truffles will remain a puzzle in the culinary scene because the item cannot be put into mass production and sold like any other whole food. The process can lead to loss of quality of the mushroom, and it would be of no value to the diners. White truffles cannot be cultivated like black or Perigord truffle. The mushrooms grow up when they are foraged by pigs, and farmers are reluctant to let their pigs savor the fungi. The natural make of white truffle has not been remade through science, and the efforts made so far have proved futile.

The rarity of white truffles may compel culinary chefs to consider a replacement in the menu. The expensive importation prices and the failure of the mushrooms to be put in mass production will become top consideration factors in cooking for mushroom diners. Diners are opting for local foods and have become more cautious on food price due to the prevailing recession. White truffle might become an optional item on the menu in many fashionable restaurants. Work CitedOzersky, Josh. White Truffles: Why they’re worth $2,000 A Pound. TIME.com. N.p., 2010. Web. 8 Dec. 2014.