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The truffle oil scam


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Old 09-04-2009, 22:31
breppo
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Tonight there was a programme on Dutch television about truffle oil. It was really shocking!!

It appears that there's absolutely no truffles in most if not all truffle oil.

According to truffle experts is nearly impossible to use real truffles to make truffle oil. It would be at least as expensive as the truffles themselves and the result would be disappointing. Whichs defeats the purpose.

Instead in the more expensive oils they use essence of fermented garlic to mimic the smell and taste of truffles.
And it gets worse. Most truffle oils are made with a waste product of crude oil refinement called 2,4-Dithiapentane.

So it's just oilve oil + fermented garlic or a chemical compound. Still it sells for up to 150 pounds per litre.
Is that a scam or not?
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Old 09-04-2009, 23:39
Swarfega
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At M&S we sell truffle oil - slowly and to very few people. However it's there to be had and there's no getting round it, there's actual truffle evident in the bottle.
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Old 09-04-2009, 23:50
breppo
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The most expensive truffle oils have some pieces of truffle in them. Sometimes that's real black or white truffle, but most of the time it's the much cheaper Chinese truffle (25 pounds per kilo at most). That truffle has almost no taste or smell, so in come the additives.
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Old 10-04-2009, 01:51
degsyhufc
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Oil is only the start. Some restaurants sell a certain fungi, resembling a black truffle, steeped in truffle oil and pass it off as authentic truffles.

It may have been on a Rick Stein program but don't quote me on that.
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Old 10-04-2009, 12:23
TommyGavin76
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At M&S we sell truffle oil - slowly and to very few people. However it's there to be had and there's no getting round it, there's actual truffle evident in the bottle.
How much is this truffle oil?
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Old 10-04-2009, 14:38
Swarfega
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How much is this truffle oil?
It's about a fiver for a very small bottle. Hence why we still have a ton of the stuff left from Christmas before last.
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Old 10-04-2009, 16:16
ontheloop54
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It smells vile
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Old 10-04-2009, 16:28
degsyhufc
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I first though that about Roasted Sesame Oil. Love it now though.
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