- Title: SAUDI ARABIA: Saudis generate business through accumulating winter truffles
- Date: 20th March 2013
- Summary: BURAIDAH, SAUDI ARABIA (RECENT - MARCH 7, 2013) (REUTERS) TWO TRUFFLES COLLECTORS WALKING IN DESERT VARIOUS OF MAN DIGGING AND COLLECTING A TRUFFLE VARIOUS OF PLANTS AND FLOWERS IN DESERT VARIOUS OF TRUFFLES COLLECTORS DIGGING (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MAJED AL MATRUDI, TRUFFLE COLLECTOR, SAYING: "Of Course the truffle is seasonal, it comes out more often after rain, it is preferred to look for it in the early morning or in the early evening hours." MORE OF MEN LOOKING FOR TRUFFLES IN DESERT VARIOUS OF TRUFFLES IN DESERT MAN DIGGING AND COLLECTING A TRUFFLE (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MAJED AL MATRUDI, TRUFFLE COLLECTOR, SAYING: "We search for truffles in rainy areas and in areas close to water currents and close to al-Aqra plants." VARIOUS OF TRUFFLE COLLECTOR DIGGING FOR TRUFFLES IN DESERT VARIOUS OF TRUFFLES MAN PICKING UP A TRUFFLE TRUFFLE COLLECTORS LEAVING DESERT AND CARRYING BAG FILLED WITH TRUFFLES VARIOUS OF MAN WASHING TRUFFLES A GROUP OF TRUFFLE COLLECTORS WASHING TRUFFLES VARIOUS OF MAN CUTTING TRUFFLES MAN PUTTING CHOPPED TRUFFLES IN POT VARIOUS OF PRESSURE COOKER MAN MIXING RICE IN COOKER SAUDI TRADITIONAL KABSAH MEAL WITH TRUFFLES ON TOP VARIOUS OF MEN EATING SAUDI TRADITIONAL KABSAH MEAL WITH TRUFFLES VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT AL JARDAH MARKET IN BURAIDAH CITY WHERE TRUFFLES ARE SOLD MAN SMELLING TRUFFLES CLOSE OF TRUFFLES IN BOXES CUSTOMER CHECKING TRUFFLES AT MARKET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SAUD AL HABIB, CUSTOMER AT THE MARKET, SAYING: "I am a regular customer of truffles especially the Zubaidi type, the box weighs almost one and a half kgs and it is priced at 80 Riyals (21.3 US dollars), but this is not a fixed price, it is normally higher than this, but because it is available in big quantities nowadays, the price is reduced. TRUFFLE TRADER SHOWCASING ALGERIAN TRUFFLES AT MARKET VARIOUS OF CUSTOMERS CHECKING ALGERIAN TRUFFLES (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SAHN AL ONAIZI, IMPORTER OF ALGERIAN TRUFFLE TO SAUDI MARKET, SAYING: "When the Zubaidi truffle first arrived to the Saudi market it was priced at 15 dollars (US) per kg, now it ranges from 7 to 8 dollars (US) per kg. In Algeria they sell truffles in kgs but here in Saudi Arabia we sell it per box. We export truffles to Saudi Arabia and all the Gulf countries including Qatar and Kuwait." MORE OF CUSTOMERS CHECKING ALGERIAN TRUFFLES AT MARKET (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SAHN AL ONAIZI, IMPORTER OF ALGERIAN TRUFFLE TO SAUDI MARKET, SAYING: "Truffle is a famous fruit, and the finest type is the Zubaidi and then comes the Khalasi and then Al Jaba which comes in black colour." MAN BUYING TRUFFLES AT THE MARKET CLOSE OF TRUFFLES BOX MORE OF MEN BUYING TRUFFLES AT THE MARKET
- Embargoed: 4th April 2013 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Saudi Arabia
- Country: Saudi Arabia
- Topics: Business,General
- Reuters ID: LVAEKBRXNBIQDH9C924NO1WAXQ2V
- Story Text: As the winter season nears end, Saudi locals rush to the desert to accumulate one of the most expensive natural food in the world, truffles.
Truffles have been enjoyed as a gastronomic treat for centuries but it is only in the last 100 years or so that they have been recognised as a fungus. They are in fact a rare type of edible mushroom.
Truffles are mostly found near the roots of trees with which they live in symbiosis.
Locals in Saudi Arabia, where truffles have a strong odour, dig two to eight inches below the ground using a short handled metal tool.
Truffle tours are seasonal with spring to summer devoted to black truffles and autumn to winter to white truffles.
Explaining how to find truffles, Saudi local Majed al-Matrudi said: "The truffle is seasonal, it comes out more often after rain, it is preferred to look for it in the early morning or in the early evening hours," said al-Matrudi.
Saudis love to cook truffles in multiple ways. They first clean them off from sand, boil them in water and cut them into pieces before they are cooked and served on top of the Saudi famous meal: Kabsah.
Searching for truffles is like hunting for buried treasure. They are sought in warm moist soil 10 to 14 days after a heavy rain.
"We search for truffles in rainy areas and in areas close to water currents and close to al-Aqra plants," said al-Matrudi.
Truffle vendors in Saudi Arabia are doing a roaring business by selling desert truffles.
The price of a box of truffle ranges depending on the type and weight of truffles. But nowadays, higher-than-average rainfall has secured more truffles in the Saudi market.
"I am a regular customer of truffles especially the Zubaidi type, the box weighs almost one and a half kgs and it is priced at 80 Riyals (21.3 US dollars), but this is not a fixed price, it is normally higher than this, but because it is available in big quantities nowadays, the price is reduced," said Saud al-Habib, while buying truffles at the market.
When there are not enough truffles to meet demand locally due to light rainfall, many vendors import their truffles from countries like Qatar, Algeria, Morocco and Libya.
Truffle vendor Sahn al-Onaizi sells Zubaidi truffle which come in white and are imported from Algeria.
"When the Zubaidi truffle first arrived to the Saudi market it was priced at 15 US dollars per kg, now it ranges from 7 to 8 US dollars per kg. In Algeria they sell truffles in kilogrammes but here in Saudi Arabia we sell it per box. We export truffles to Saudi Arabia and all the Gulf countries including Qatar and Kuwait," he said.
"Truffle is a famous fruit, and the finest type is the Zubaidi and then comes the Khalasi and then Al Jaba which comes in black colour," he added.
White truffles are more expensive than black truffles and the most expensive one appears to have been an Italian variety which sold for 330,000 US dollars in 2010 for 3lbs. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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