vanderwal.net

The Truffles We've Seen

I deeply enjoy mushrooms, but when we get to truffles it is a completely different story. It doesn’t matter if they are black or white (this does not apply to chocolate, which really should be clear, but for those not good with clarity it needs to be stated). I don’t understand truffles in any food. They often overwhelm everything.

The bigger problem I have with truffles is that they smell like a sweaty old gym sock that got stuck in the back of a closet for months and things went horribly wrong. This is not a pleasant scent. This is not the sort of scent you would attribute to a “good flavor”. The other trouble with truffles is that the horrid scent gets stuck in your nose and sinuses and it ruins all the great subtle flavors going in for everything else in the meal.

I have made this comment in restaurants when asked if I would like shaved truffles on a dish and had the wait staff smirk. On two occasions the wait staff asked me if I would like to chat with the chef, but found the chef wanted to talk as they agreed. Both times the chef said they offer it because people want it and are willing to pay quite a bit for it. They also agreed with the scent comparison and have tried to take truffle off the menu, but customers want it. Customers believe they are supposed to like it, but like it because they think it is expensive and they should like it, but like it not because they actually like it. One chef at a restaurant that had a “chef’s counter” that sat at the edge of the kitchen to watch called me his “truffle brother”. The restaurant was known for its wine selection and pairings, but there is no better way to ruin a good wine than have truffles blocking your sense of smell.

I keep hoping one day that the old sweaty moldy old sock smell from the back of the closet charade will end and food can have the good flavors and the focus on them fully return.