The Conservation Report

IMAGES of expensive and rare commodities: A truffle at right and below is ambergris in a bowl. Ambergris from the digestive tract of sperm whales is used in perfume and is as rare as Captain Ahab’s white sperm whale.

Adding truffles to common ordinary popular junkfood results in a $120 burger, $100 Philly cheesesteak, $200 pizza and even chocolate costing $2,600 per pound! Truffles are expensive because of their low availability coupled with their high demand. Since truffles are rare treats, perhaps they should not be drowned within inferior food types.

Truffles look like globs of compacted organic dirt but have a unique and highly sought after taste. Actually, truffles are fungi that come from the soil and are found in association with certain species of deciduous trees. They are a specialized family of fungi since they are ectomycorrhizal. People can cultivate truffles by planting certain species of trees from certain areas. The resulting fungal fruit may be located by either swine or a trained canine.

Ambergris is another odd and unassuming looking but valuable commodity. The substance comes from the digestive system of sperm whales. Ambergris is used in the perfumery business and finding a sizeable piece of ambergris of superior quality on a beach is like winning the lottery.

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