Recently the prized black truffle industry in Australia celebrated two achievements; it was their best ever season as well as their first ever exports overseas. This is seen as a real success for the industry, as for the past few years truffle companies have not been able to produce the volumes needed to sustain the demand from both domestic and international markets.

For those that don’t know, black truffles (Tuber melanosporum) are a type of fungus which grow at the roots of specially inoculated oak trees. Each winter truffles are found by specially trained dogs who smell truffles which are located from 5cm to 30 cm below the ground.

The majority of truffles used in an Australian restaurants are imported from overseas. In the past few years however, there has been approximately 50 black truffle plantations established across Tasmania, New South Wales and Victoria.

The recent exports of Australian truffles to Europe is a significant step for the truffle industry and there exists an opportunity for growers to supply the other side of the world in their off season (i.e Australia’s winter = Europe’s summer).

To many European and Australian chefs, truffles are the prized possession and are used in a wide variety of dishes including pasta's and risotto's. Some chefs choose to slice truffles and infuse them in olive oil before drizzling over the top of dishes like soups. For me personally, I have never been that thrilled about truffles, but it could just be their price with Australian truffles currently reaching approximately $3000 per kilo.

If Australian truffles are going to have any success on the global market, then the industry needs to be producing upwards of 500kg per week. The challenge moving forward is the same as it has been for the past ten years, which is refining the science behind the development, investment in the industry and time.

For more information on Australian truffles, the main growers are;
Wine and Truffle Co., Perigord Truffles of Tasmania and Truffles Australis 

And the Australian Truffle Growers Association can be found at www.trufflegrowers.com.au