Australian truffles are causing a kerfuffle in the $100 million US truffle industry, and giving New York chefs an off-season truffle source.
The Truffle & Wine Co. is brand new to the US, but has operated in Australia for 18 years (it takes seven years before producing a first truffle, and the US market for the company’s truffles took off in 2008).
Top chefs in the US, including Per Se’s Thomas Keller, say it’s now hard to tell the difference between the Australian black Perigord truffle harvested in Manjimup, Western Australia, and the French version because they are the same high quality.
The Truffle & Wine Co. was in New York last week to kick off a $100,000 campaign promoting truffles to chefs new to the product.
The company represents about 80 percent of truffles coming out of Australia.
Frank Brunacci, vice president of sales, said summer truffles are about $120 a pound, come from all over Europe and are basically “glorified potatoes, white on the outside and in.”
The black Australian truffles cost $800 and up a pound, similar pricing to the French variety, and are exquisite.