the truffle market | Brazil

1.1 Definition and scope of study

The truffle is the name given to certain species of mushrooms that are found in the soil and grow in symbiosis with roots of several plants. A single fungus can bring different truffles to life.

There are two main categories of truffles on the market :

• The black truffle or the Périgord truffle which is found in calcareous soils, under truffle trees 1 to 15 cm deep
• The white truffle, the most popular and expensive variety on the market that is found mainly in Italy and Croatia

The truffle market consists of a multitude of small players who are farmers, who harvest and distribute their products.  Much rarer than the black truffle since it cannot be cultivated and growing spontaneously in specific regions, the white truffle is extremely delicate and can only preserve its aroma and taste for a week. Some players are fighting to continue modernizing the sector and to find support from public authorities.

In 2016, truffles of a species native to the United States were discovered for the first time in Brazil. The spores were found more specifically in the walnut-pecan forests of the region of Santa Maria and Cachoeira do Sul, in the center of Rio Grande do Sul. The challenge now is to try to make their use possible in the professional kitchens around the country. Obviously the Brazilian truffle is not comparable to the European one, but it impressed renowned chefs who had the opportunity to evaluate it, showing a lot of promise for commercial use in the coming years.