Australia about to overtake France in truffle production

[Jenise]

Barb from Downunder posted this is another thread, but I'm reposting it here for wider attention:

“In a stunning reversal of agriculture’s world order, Australia is this year on track to overtake France in producing black Perigord truffles.

The WA truffle harvest, centred on Manjimup in the Southern Forests region, will be responsible for up to 75 per cent of the national crop.

Black truffle is synonymous with high-end French cuisine and food culture but according to Australia’s biggest truffle producer, The Truffle & Wine Com-pany, a combination of weather setbacks in France and the prospects of a modest increase in local truffle production “will more than likely” result in Australian production outstripping this year’s French harvest.

“The weather in Europe has been horrible, with production in France and Italy said to be 90 per cent down on previous years in some regions,” The Truffle & Wine Company’s head of sales Alex Wilson said.

“I would expect France to do 10 tonnes this year, with Australia set to produce 12 to 15 tonnes.”

[Robin Garr]

So when did the black Perigord truffle get introduced into Australia? And its symbiotic host trees?

Oz is usually very strict about importing plants and fungi.

-Paul W.

Half the crop comes from one farm, created in 1997. Who knows how they got permission.
https://www.vogue.com/article/why-you-should-be-going-to-australia-for-fresh-black-truffles

Until this article I would never even have looked for fresh truffles online... but there they are! Australian tuber melanosporum vitt for sale. 2 ounces $125.

The story so far! Or how my dealer..oops supplier started the ball rolling


Perigord Truffles of Tasmania was established in 1993 by Duncan Garvey.

It all started in the early 1990’s when Duncan overheard a conversation in a café where a couple were talking about a French truffle experince in a Paris restaurant. They spoke about the intriguing flavour of the truffle and how the whole restaurant was filled with the intoxicating perfume of the truffle and most importantly how they were only available in the Northern Hemisphre winter.

This was the start of Duncan’s truffle journey which resulted in the harvesting of Australia first truffle in Tasmania on June 18th 1999.

In the time, between overhearing the truffle conversation and the first discovery he had critically reviewed the literature on truffles, made a numerous of trips to France to research truffles and conducted market research in Europe, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Perigord Truffles of Tasmania was formed in 1993 and successfully established trufferies in Victoria and NSW and oversaw the first truffles harvested in both states.

In recent years Duncan’ focus has been on supplying Australia’s leading chefs with fresh Tasmanian truffles weekly through the winter and establishing an online platform where truffles are delivered direct to homes in Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong.

“I am as passionate now about the truffles we produce and market as I was when we harvested Australia’s first truffle on June 18th 1999.”

“The scent of that truffle still lingers in my mind it was an overwhelming experience.”

“I felt so privileged to realise a dream, to pioneer and produce French truffles in Australia”

And

Interesting. As I suspected, truffle growers in Australia and New Zealand have to plant beech and other deciduous trees native to Europe to serve as symbiotic hosts for the truffles.

-Paul W.

[Jenise]

Speaking of truffles, a few years back I read about a guy who had moved from Oregon, I think, to Tennessee. Wife's a doctor and he's the house-husband with a little extra time on his hands and he somehow figured out some tree there that would host truffles that had the rich, real flavor of Perigord truffles so he planted an orchard--I've never heard anything more since. Anybody know?

[Robin Garr]

Interesting story! He apparently had great success for a few years but then got wiped out by blight and frost.
https://www.greenevillesun.com/news/loc ... 96893.html

There's a Wall Street Journal story that may have more recent news than that 2015 report, but it's behind a paywall for me. The intro is interesting, though:

The Elusive American Black Truffle
Three decades after farmers first cultivated Périgord truffles in the U.S., no one has succeeded commercially. These intrepid growers are still pursuing the prize.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-elusiv ... 1518264060

[Jenise]

Great detective work, Robin, thanks! And how sad.

How curious that the US has not had success with truffles, perhaps there is no real need to find niche markets. Here down under it can be difficult to compete, with economies of scale and the tyranny of distance against us.
I think this has served to make people look at high value niche markets and this has given rise to such industries. The big plus for agricultural products in this sector is the fact we can supply the European, Asian and North American markets with fresh product “out of season”
So you can get truffles in summer,the Netherlands gets tulips in winter from another Tasmanian with vision, the Japanese love our asparagus in their winter (and they get the best! I hijack a few kilos annually from the Japanese market by going direct to the packing shed).
Another Tasmanian group has developed a specialist buckwheat flour market for the Japanese who love their soba noodles, with the grain being stone ground in an historic windmill.

BTW a lot of local truffieres use hazelnut trees and thus generate a secondary product.

Piedmont hazelnuts are a thing, too.

Australia about to overtake France in truffle production? I didn't know that.

G’day Matilda.
I have been following the local truffle industry for some time, out of interest, and had been aware for some years that whilst our industry was in a high growth phase, the industry in Europe particularly France is in decline for a variety of reasons. The volume, however, came as a bit of a shock!

BTW have you and the Francophile come across http://franckfood.com.au. Great products and excellent service, from rural South Australia.

I have no connection with the company except as an occasional but very satisfied customer.
Robin, Jenise if this is inappropriate I apologise and understand if you take me down.

[Robin Garr]

Robin, Jenise if this is inappropriate I apologise and understand if you take me down.

Not at all, Barb! It's fine to share information that our neighbo(u)rs can use. We only object when strangers fly in and drop advertising in our laps.

No, Barb, we haven't come across this firm's products. I must look out for them. Maybe try to drop in next time we're out there on the way to Tailem Bend.

Apart from the French-style food, I can see some of their game pates going into gift boxes for a couple of people I know. Thanks for the heads-up.