A recent article in US popular science publication Scientific American has shed some intriguing light on to the role that the Dordogne’s most famous culinary export plays outside of fine dining.

The Perigord black truffle is so valuable that better specimens can fetch prices of nearly £1,000 a kilogramme. This high price, coupled with its rarity, is the source of its popular name in the region – the “black diamond” of the Dordogne.

The article, available for purchase or subscription view on the Scientific American website featured in the April issue of this year. Among the key concepts explored by writers James M Trappe and Andrew W Claridge was the important role that truffles play in ecosystems. According to SciAm, they play an important role as they provide nutrition for both plants and animals and growing recognition of their significance has led to an increased focus upon conservation efforts. 

Although the Dordogne truffle is just one among many other truffle species that have less appeal as a luxury foodstuff but are ecologically significant, it too has seen annual produce levels plummet in the past few decades. Sustaining its existence is clearly more than a matter of sustaining the local market and the ability to sample fine food on a French holiday.

However, the black Perigord truffle plays a particularly intriguing role in the article among the other types of truffle under discussion. It appears that the animal kingdom loves the fine foodstuff as much as any esteemed gourmet; in a brilliant experiment, Andrew Clardige used the truffle’s prized oil to attract specimens to get a better estimate of endangered species populations in Australia.

Though Australian animals will never have scented the Dordogne Diamond, they came in their droves when Claridge soaked pads with oil from the black Perigord truffle and left them near motion-sensing cameras. Scientific American reports that nearly 50 times as many individuals were counted with this technique than others.

Related posts:

1. DNA of Dordogne’s black diamond decoded
2. Sarlat’s “Feast of the Truffle” celebrates the ‘black diamond’
3. Guardian travel writer explores the Dordogne’s outdoor activities
4. Village’s first truffle festival a ‘resounding success’
5. New book explores ‘culinary adventures in the Dordogne’

Comments are closed.