6 ms·

I wonder what foodstuff will take place of truffles as the rare "it" ingredient once truffles are commodotized.

by mertd 4y ago

causi 4y ago
Hopefully we start commoditizing everything else, like saffron.
- elil17 4y ago
  Saffron is already commoditized. It is shelf stable and, while it is very expensive by weight, very little weight is needed to flavor a dish. You can get it at most American supermarkets and cook with it.
  - deleted 4y ago
    [deleted]
- dwater 4y ago
  The reason saffron is exotic (for Americans) is because Iran produces 90+% of it, and the US government wants to punish the Iranian government with trade sanctions.
  - shaky-carrousel 4y ago
    Spain is the largest saffron exporter: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1031584/global-leading-exporters-of-saffron-export-volume/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1031584/global-leading-e...
    - adhesive_wombat 4y ago
      Maybe because of the sanctions on Iran mean that almost anyone else buying from them get immediately placed on a US blacklist.
    - sushid 4y ago
      Are you trying to bolstering the parent commenter's claim or trying to refute it? Iran does produce over 90% of the world's supply of saffron and we have sanctions against them, which obviously makes it hard for them to compete on the export front. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1135621/leading-saffron-producers-worldwide/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1135621/leading-saffron-...
vanderZwan 4y ago
> While more than 90% of black, highly prized Périgord truffles sold are cultivated, previous attempts to farm their rarer white cousins have failed. I don't eat truffles myself (too strong a taste for me), but I wouldn't surprise me if most people don't realize they get the cultivated variety already.
cptcobalt 4y ago
My fingers are crossed for caviar. I know it's an acquired taste for some, but damn, it's good.
- Mikeb85 4y ago
  Caviar has been farm raised for a while now. Almost all the stuff on the market is farm raised. I have a tin of farm-raised Canadian sturgeon caviar in my fridge right now... They even have techniques to extract the eggs without killing the fish.
  - exhilaration 4y ago
    Any chance you can link to brands that "extract the eggs without killing the fish"?
    - Mikeb85 4y ago
      Not sure about every brand (there's over 2000 caviar farms apparently) but a few I found: https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/features/ethical-caviar-farm-yorkshire https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/features/ethical-caviar-fa... https://californiacaviar.com/pages/our-story https://californiacaviar.com/pages/our-story https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/meet-frances-no-kill-caviar-producer https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/meet-frances-no-kil... Not killing the fish is an obvious way to increase the farm's yield so I imagine most producers are interested in it. Sturgeon meat isn't particularly demanded either...
      - eps 4y ago
        Sturgeon is utterly delicious. Hot-smoked sturgeon is an incredible delicacy and it's an absolute riot when grilled.
        Mikeb85 4y ago
        I like it but many don't. Certainly not as in-demand as salmon, tuna, halibut, etc...
huhtenberg 4y ago
Black truffles are already commodified in a sense that the main aroma compound has been isolated, is very cheap to synthesize [1] and it's used extensively in "truffle-flavoured" products. That's what makes it possible to pick up a bottle of "truffle oil" in your supermarket of choice. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dithiapentane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dithiapentane
- safety1st 4y ago
  Yep, that ship has sailed. Burger King in Singapore was selling a "Truffle Mayo Chicken Tendercrisp" a few years back, for heaven's sake.
- zionic 4y ago
  >Black truffles are already commodified in a sense that the main aroma compound has been isolated, is very cheap to synthesize [1] and it's used extensively in "truffle-flavoured" products. Just made some truffle-oil infused smoked mac-n-cheese. Sometimes, capitalism is _delicious_.
- hristov 4y ago
  And those truffle flavored products taste terrible and are not at all comparable to the real thing.
  - CPLX 4y ago
    Nah, they're just different. And often quite good.
  - s1artibartfast 4y ago
    Chocolate ice cream and dog shit are comparable, just not favorably for the dog
- cbtacy 4y ago
  Truffle oil most often contains no actual truffle. Instead, most uses a product like 2,4-dithiapentane which mimics the aromatics of truffle. Most if not all chefs hate truffle oil with an unholy passion.

I wonder what foodstuff will take place of truffles as the rare "it" ingredient once truffles are commodotized.

by mertd 4y ago

I wonder what foodstuff will take place of truffles as the rare "it" ingredient once truffles are commodotized.

causi 4y ago

Hopefully we start commoditizing everything else, like saffron.

elil17 4y ago
Saffron is already commoditized. It is shelf stable and, while it is very expensive by weight, very little weight is needed to flavor a dish. You can get it at most American supermarkets and cook with it.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
dwater 4y ago
The reason saffron is exotic (for Americans) is because Iran produces 90+% of it, and the US government wants to punish the Iranian government with trade sanctions.
- shaky-carrousel 4y ago
  Spain is the largest saffron exporter: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1031584/global-leading-exporters-of-saffron-export-volume/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1031584/global-leading-e...
  - adhesive_wombat 4y ago
    Maybe because of the sanctions on Iran mean that almost anyone else buying from them get immediately placed on a US blacklist.
  - sushid 4y ago
    Are you trying to bolstering the parent commenter's claim or trying to refute it? Iran does produce over 90% of the world's supply of saffron and we have sanctions against them, which obviously makes it hard for them to compete on the export front. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1135621/leading-saffron-producers-worldwide/ https://www.statista.com/statistics/1135621/leading-saffron-...

vanderZwan 4y ago

> While more than 90% of black, highly prized Périgord truffles sold are cultivated, previous attempts to farm their rarer white cousins have failed. I don't eat truffles myself (too strong a taste for me), but I wouldn't surprise me if most people don't realize they get the cultivated variety already.

cptcobalt 4y ago

My fingers are crossed for caviar. I know it's an acquired taste for some, but damn, it's good.

Mikeb85 4y ago
Caviar has been farm raised for a while now. Almost all the stuff on the market is farm raised. I have a tin of farm-raised Canadian sturgeon caviar in my fridge right now... They even have techniques to extract the eggs without killing the fish.
- exhilaration 4y ago
  Any chance you can link to brands that "extract the eggs without killing the fish"?
  - Mikeb85 4y ago
    Not sure about every brand (there's over 2000 caviar farms apparently) but a few I found: https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/features/ethical-caviar-farm-yorkshire https://www.greatbritishchefs.com/features/ethical-caviar-fa... https://californiacaviar.com/pages/our-story https://californiacaviar.com/pages/our-story https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/meet-frances-no-kill-caviar-producer https://www.finedininglovers.com/article/meet-frances-no-kil... Not killing the fish is an obvious way to increase the farm's yield so I imagine most producers are interested in it. Sturgeon meat isn't particularly demanded either...
    - eps 4y ago
      Sturgeon is utterly delicious. Hot-smoked sturgeon is an incredible delicacy and it's an absolute riot when grilled.
      - Mikeb85 4y ago
        I like it but many don't. Certainly not as in-demand as salmon, tuna, halibut, etc...

huhtenberg 4y ago

Black truffles are already commodified in a sense that the main aroma compound has been isolated, is very cheap to synthesize [1] and it's used extensively in "truffle-flavoured" products. That's what makes it possible to pick up a bottle of "truffle oil" in your supermarket of choice. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dithiapentane https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2,4-Dithiapentane

safety1st 4y ago
Yep, that ship has sailed. Burger King in Singapore was selling a "Truffle Mayo Chicken Tendercrisp" a few years back, for heaven's sake.
zionic 4y ago
>Black truffles are already commodified in a sense that the main aroma compound has been isolated, is very cheap to synthesize [1] and it's used extensively in "truffle-flavoured" products. Just made some truffle-oil infused smoked mac-n-cheese. Sometimes, capitalism is _delicious_.
hristov 4y ago
And those truffle flavored products taste terrible and are not at all comparable to the real thing.
- CPLX 4y ago
  Nah, they're just different. And often quite good.
- s1artibartfast 4y ago
  Chocolate ice cream and dog shit are comparable, just not favorably for the dog
cbtacy 4y ago
Truffle oil most often contains no actual truffle. Instead, most uses a product like 2,4-dithiapentane which mimics the aromatics of truffle. Most if not all chefs hate truffle oil with an unholy passion.