Truffle oil doesn't exist!

Very provocative title: yes, because truffle oil does not exist commercially, yet it's the best-selling truffle product.
Let me explain what's inside truffle oil.
In truffle oil, which is made with extra virgin olive oil that has a very strong flavor, 98% extra virgin olive oil and 2% aroma are used, specifically Bismethylthiomethane, a supercalifragilisticexpialidocious substance. Hard to pronounce.
In products using other types of lighter and less expensive oils, a lower percentage of aroma is used. This shows how powerful Bismethylthiomethane is.
Today I'll talk about truffle oil, the one found on the market, or rather, what's inside it.
Read until the end: I'll give you a recipe to make real truffle oil at home.

What's in truffle oil?

As clarified above, truffle oil contains Bismethylthiomethane, a chemical compound synthesized from petroleum, used as a flavoring to enhance truffle products.
This is not an illegal practice, but in certain cases, it could be considered a real fraud. The so-called Bismethylthiomethane, an organic sulfur compound naturally found in truffles, is commercially exploited after being extracted and processed from petroleum.
The "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" Bismethylthiomethane primarily harms the truffle economy and deceives consumers.

The predominant odor characteristic in Alba white truffle is due to Bismethylthiomethane.
Studies on the valuable white truffle, Tuber magnatum pico, have shown that it is present in larger quantities in nature, while Bismethylthiomethane is a synthetic product that attempts to reproduce the same molecule present in truffles, which gives that characteristic gas-like odor.

This is where the tragedy begins: over the years, this scent (which is actually just one of many nuances that make up the wonderful bouquet of truffle) has been mistakenly associated with a synonym for quality. It is believed that the more intense the smell, the higher the quality of the truffle. But nothing could be further from the truth.

In the truffle industry, for reasons of economy or to confer perceived value to their truffle products, many years ago they began to increase the percentages of Bismethylthiomethane at the expense of the actual presence of truffle (which, very often, accounts for less than 3% in lower quality truffles).

So when we buy commercial truffle oil, the truffle very often hasn't even been seen from afar. If you see truffle pieces inside, know that that truffle has been treated in an autoclave and has therefore lost all its fragrance and flavor properties. The flavor comes from 2% aroma. Furthermore, in addition to the truffle oil you're enjoying with other truffle products, you'll notice other ingredients on the label, such as oil and the word "flavorings."
Similarly, most preserved fresh truffles have been treated, so if you find them very fragrant, you should be aware of this. Truffle, being a hypogeous fungus composed of 90% water and oil, these two elements don't get along well together unless treated. Therefore, in truffle oil, you won't find actual truffle.

Furthermore, if we consider the various sauces, pâtés, and other packaged truffle products, in addition to flavored oil, mushrooms and other substances are added.

However, I specify that it is used in the training of truffle dogs, precisely because Bismethylthiomethane is the aroma used to flavor the oil and is also present in truffles in nature. Dogs recognize that even fresh truffles have the same aroma within them. It's better to train dogs with frozen or fresh truffles, but in their absence, flavored oil with Bismethylthiomethane can also work very well.

So what's the problem with truffle oil?

Putting the image of white truffle on the label of oil with truffle aroma is criminal, it's fraud; Italian law does not protect, even though there is no truffle inside the oil, one can even write "white/black truffle flavored condiment" on the label. Let's draw a veil over that.

From a taste perspective, the problem is that many people, especially those who have never tasted real fresh truffle, think that the scent and flavor of truffle are similar to that of gas. Bismethylthiomethane has led to the use of truffle oil even in refined restaurants.
Being uncultured, most people get used to artificial flavors, for example in restaurants, where you are served a beautiful dish of tagliolini with truffle that emits an explosive and powerful odor, thanks to the deception of bismethylthiomethane. It must be said that many people do not appreciate fresh white truffle grated on their dish, saying: "this tastes bland." This happens because people now want artificial flavors, without knowing, without understanding, ignoring.

Bismethylthiomethane is one of the aromas found in truffle, but the bouquet of scents and flavors of a white or black truffle is much wider and more complex. Only people educated in the taste of fresh truffle can appreciate a beautiful dish of fresh truffle tagliolini with its full bouquet of scents and flavors!

Eating truffle (each variety has its own characteristics) means pausing and waiting for all the flavors to manifest themselves; this is its charm. Dishes with truffle oil, with Bismethylthiomethane, lack much of this charm; they are standard. The scents and flavors of truffles are determined by:

• maturity,
• the territory, the area where they grew rather than another,
• climatic conditions such as rain, cold, fog, heat, drought, lunar phases.

This is what makes truffle special, but the madness occurring in the truffle market is that often even good white truffles are treated with bismethylthiomethane; supercalifragilisticexpialidocious and here's the magical fraud. Because otherwise, less educated people in the markets wouldn't buy them, saying they don't smell like truffle. We have reached a point where excellent products are being adulterated with a low-quality product, because an entire culture of taste is being lost due to companies continuously producing the most disparate products, increasing consumerism and their own profits.

Is Bismethylthiomethane dangerous for health?

Let's not create unnecessary alarm; that is, in the concentrations present in these oils, there is no study suggesting it is harmful to health. It is detrimental to truffle culture, to the culture of truffle taste, that's for sure, but there are no health risks.
Although Bismethylthiomethane is not harmful to health, it's easy to understand how its excessive use can negatively impact an important economic sector such as that of our precious national truffle. The production and distribution of truffle products with a minimal amount of real truffle are counterproductive for everyone except the producers themselves, and represent a deceptive practice that can only be countered through greater awareness.
Furthermore, it's important to remember that a valuable truffle like the white one, our beloved and expensive Tuber magnatum pico, possesses a wonderful complexity of aromas that is currently impossible to artificially reproduce. Therefore, this practice not only borders on fraud, but also damages the culture of good food that our culinary tradition boasts.
So, even if bismethylthiomethane is not harmful to health, it causes damage to the truffle economy and our precious cuisine.

How to recognize real truffle products?

Unless you have an exceptionally trained sense of smell, it's difficult to accurately determine the presence of Bismethylthiomethane in a truffle sauce or oil, even though it's present in most of them. However, the presence of the word "flavorings" on the label can usually be a good indicator, but it's not conclusive proof, as it's a generic term. Yes, because a true truffle aroma extract can be made by creating truly unique quality products, where certain labels may state "natural flavorings" or simply "flavoring."

So, how can you identify products that contain real truffle? You can distinguish them where 5% to 10% is indicated, specifying the scientific name of the truffle. Only at these percentages is the single word "flavoring" nothing more than a truffle extract, thus a natural flavoring. Unfortunately, there is currently no legal regulation that obliges manufacturers to clearly and transparently indicate ingredients on the label.

As promised, I'll explain the only recipe for making truffle oil

If you know any other ways, let me know in the comments.

Making real truffle oil is very simple. Our grandparents did it, our fathers did it, and we do it too.
You need a very light oil, like sunflower or rice oil. Do not use strong extra virgin olive oils; instead, opt for a light oil, even seed oil is fine. The important thing is that it is good, Italian, and GMO-free.

Here are the steps:
1. Take this oil and put it in a drinking glass.
2. Place the glass in the center of a large airtight container. If you don't have such a large airtight jar, you can use a pressure cooker; that works perfectly.
3. Then, take a napkin or paper towel and place it at the bottom of the container.
4. Place the truffles around the glass. The more truffles you put, the more the oil, which is very porous, will absorb the truffle scent.
5. Once the truffles are in the large container, close the airtight jar.
6. This container should stay in the refrigerator for three days.
7. After that, you can open the container, clean the truffles, and consume them. The oil, once bottled, will be good even for next year.

Usually, for one glass of oil, 50g of truffle is enough, so we are talking about just a few tens of euros. I recommend using truffles that the dog breaks during the search or the small ones.
That said, you will surely ask yourself: having fresh truffle, why should I waste it to flavor an oil? Wouldn't it be better to use it and eat it fresh? Good point!

I advise you to consume fresh truffle as soon as it's harvested, perhaps bought directly from the harvester and not from second, third, fourth, or fifth resellers. This way you will save money and help the truffle culture.

Take care of and respect environmental biodiversity. We live in a nationally unique territory in the world, Italy. I wish you to acquire knowledge of the various qualities of truffles, but first and foremost, be an animal and nature lover.

And stay away from commercial scams!