Saturday/Sunday 5-6 Nov 2005 P3 - Katy McLaughlin

I was particularly aware of this article because "L" asked me some months ago why the rage about truffles. She'd tried truffle dishes and they left her cold.

The article says 25% of the population can't smell or taste truffles at all and 40% very much can and hate them. That leaves 35% who can smell truffles and love them.

Chefs, however, all love truffles. Tim Jacob and colleagues at Cadriff University in Cadriff Wales did a study and found that those who can't detect truffles, after a week of sniffing truffle-level doses of the compound andostenone (the dominant truffle aromatic) three times a day could thereafter smell truffles and liked them.

The article's conclusion was that before laying down $110 for a plate of spaghetti with truffle shavings you stop by a gourmet emporium and ask for a sniff of a high quality truffle oil made with real truffles to see if it'll be worth your money.