ASmith1946 > said:

> I haven't tried it yet, but just in case you have an extra two pounds
> of truffles, here's a great historical recipe:
8< snip!
> Source: Sarah Tyson Rorer. The Philadelphia Cook Book. Philadelphia:
> Arnold and Co. 1886. 191-92.

What would two pounds of truffles have cost in 1886, I wonder? Does anyone
know what they'd cost today?

--
Bob
Kanyak's Doghouse
http://kanyak.com

Due to bad weather and a growing pollution problem, I saw black French
truffles going for about 2000 euro per kilo and white Italian truffles going
for about 6000 euro per kilo. No word yet on the current Australian truffle
harvest, as I assume it's so low as to be not worth counting, but early days
yet...

So, if 2 pounds is .9 of a kilo (very roughly), then the stuffing works out
as

BLACK TRUFFLES
US$ - $2050
UK Pound - 1250
AU$ - $3115

WHITE TRUFFLES
US$ - $6150
UK Pound - 3760
AU$ - $9340

Regards,

Kali

"Opinicus" > wrote in message
...
> ASmith1946 > said:
>
> > I haven't tried it yet, but just in case you have an extra two pounds
> > of truffles, here's a great historical recipe:
> 8< snip!
> > Source: Sarah Tyson Rorer. The Philadelphia Cook Book. Philadelphia:
> > Arnold and Co. 1886. 191-92.
>
> What would two pounds of truffles have cost in 1886, I wonder? Does anyone
> know what they'd cost today?
>
> --
> Bob
> Kanyak's Doghouse
> http://kanyak.com
>

The first "turkey stuffing" recipe that I've found with truffles, mentions
"green truffles." Does anyone know what green truffles are?

Portion of the recipe: "...take the finest young turkey you can get...stuffed
with green truffles..and then in a sauce."
[Source: Vincent LaChapelle, "The Modern Cook." London: Nicolas Prevost, 1733.
138]

I have not found much evidence of truffles in the US in the 19th century. My
first record from the City Hotel Menu, dated February 18, 1842, for a dinner in
honor of Charles Dickens: "Roast Wild Turkies Stuffed with Truffles."

I haven't researched this much, so if anyone has data re truffles in the US,
do tell. As truufles only grow in Europe (don't they?), they would have to have
been imported into the US and therefore would have been expensive.

It seems extremely unlikely that two pounds of truffles would be used in the US
in the latter half of the 19th century. So, was there some substitute (or
adulteration) used -- perhaps a type of mushroom?

Any thoughts?

Andy Smith


>
>Due to bad weather and a growing pollution problem, I saw black French
>truffles going for about 2000 euro per kilo and white Italian truffles going
>for about 6000 euro per kilo. No word yet on the current Australian truffle
>harvest, as I assume it's so low as to be not worth counting, but early days
>yet...
>
>So, if 2 pounds is .9 of a kilo (very roughly), then the stuffing works out
>as
>
>BLACK TRUFFLES
>US$ - $2050
>UK Pound - 1250
>AU$ - $3115
>
>WHITE TRUFFLES
>US$ - $6150
>UK Pound - 3760
>AU$ - $9340
>
>Regards,
>
>Kali
>
>"Opinicus" > wrote in message
...
>> ASmith1946 > said:
>>
>> > I haven't tried it yet, but just in case you have an extra two pounds
>> > of truffles, here's a great historical recipe:
>> 8< snip!
>> > Source: Sarah Tyson Rorer. The Philadelphia Cook Book. Philadelphia:
>> > Arnold and Co. 1886. 191-92.
>>
>> What would two pounds of truffles have cost in 1886, I wonder? Does anyone
>> know what they'd cost today?
>>
>> --
>> Bob
>> Kanyak's Doghouse
>> http://kanyak.com
>>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

On 07 Nov 2003 12:25:47 GMT, (ASmith1946) wrote:


>I haven't researched this much, so if anyone has data re truffles in the US,
>do tell. As truufles only grow in Europe (don't they?), they would have to have
>been imported into the US and therefore would have been expensive.
>
>It seems extremely unlikely that two pounds of truffles would be used in the US
>in the latter half of the 19th century. So, was there some substitute (or
>adulteration) used -- perhaps a type of mushroom?


Try alt.nature.mushroom. A newsgroup totally devoted to fungi.
There are native truffles, or at least a variety or two of them.
There are now US grown truffles of the European strains, but the
plantations take a long time to get established, as they must be in
the midst of particular types of trees.

I'll get my mushroom book...


I found one truffle look-alike called Pisolithus Tinctorius that's
supposed to be edible (though the author says 'but unappealing') when
young, which is what green often means. It is found worldwide.

What social class would this stuffing have been made for? It's
possible that someone in the social class of the Astors or the
railroad barons or the Gold Rush rich could have afforded to import
the prized European truffles by the pound. It was a time of great
fortunes being made and spent. Otherwise I think we've got to go with
Pisolitus or some other look-alike There are a few others, but some
say, "eaten in Europe, but undetermined edibility in the US" or
"edibility not determined. Modern mushroom hunters are very cautious
compared to the old timers. Perhaps some of those are close enough in
flavour to the European ones that they were in use by those who knew
what they were cooking?
--

rbc:vixen,Minnow Goddess,Willow Watcher,and all that sort of thing.
Often taunted by trout.
Only a fool would refuse to believe in luck. Only a damn fool would rely on it.

http://www.visi.com/~cyli