Kent > wrote:

>"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.

>A.G. Ferrari recently filed for bankruptcy.

This is not significant. They readily found more financing, and
the new owners are expanding the product line, including the
importing arm.


Steve