"Steve Pope" > wrote in message
...
> Giusi > wrote:
>
>>I can't give you a brand name and I suspect that oils with a brand name
>>are
>>the product of big factories and might be the bad kind. Look at the
>>label.
>>It should say truffles and probably even what type. (estive, etc.) The
>>ones
>>that say flavors or whatever are using artificial truffle flavor.
>>
>>We have a small company here that makes truffle oil. I don't know where
>>it
>>goes, but they don't make enough for it to hit the shelves of our big
>>supermarket. That's the story on truffle oil... you have to find a shop
>>or
>>a person who connects you to a small manufacturer.
>
> If even high-end chefs in the U.S. are unable to reliably obtain
> genuine truffle oil, then for all intents and purposes it does not
> exist in the U.S.
>
> This is the sort of thing the poses real problems for importers, since
> even if they taste an authentic truffle oil in Italy, it is difficult
> to ensure that what subsequently gets shipped to them is the same
> quality. Labeling laws do not require disclosure of added chemicals.
>
> And yes, the local importers of Italian products have very good
> connections
> in Italy, so it's not as if they are operating blindly. It's just a
> difficult proposition to search for an almost-nonexistent product when
> there are lots of fakes and no laws preventing the fakes from being
> sold as the real thing.
>
> I find it telling that A.G. Ferrari only sells an "oil with white truffle
> slice", and doesn't sell a "truffle oil". This can only mean they
> concluded the latter product can't be procured in a reasonable quality
> level.
>
> Finally, I can't think of a situation where a truffle oil is actually
> preferred to physical truffles.
>
>
> Steve

A.G. Ferrari recently filed for bankruptcy.

Kent