Truffles…what are they? Are they chocolates, or a type of fungus used for garnish? Well, in this case, I’m referring to the latter. Turns out legitimate truffle oil is pretty damn hard to come by in this world, especially given the true rarity and expense of legitimate truffles.
For those who have an affinity for legitimate truffles and also live in Champaign-Urbana, you’re in luck. Pizzeria Antica’s funghi pizza features a drizzle of legitimate white truffle oil (pictured), and not a hint of the fake stuff. For more information, here’s what Antica had to say about their oil:
It’s white truffle season in Piemonte Italy and if you are rich, you have already enjoyed a sliver of this year’s bounty at some ritzy Chicago restaurant.
If you are less fortunate, truffle oil is always in season and available in gourmet stores and on local restaurant dishes. But sadly your unfortunate social position is depriving you of actually enjoying the very thing that makes truffles the “diamonds of the kitchen”. Truffles are all about aroma.
Somebody evil figured out that the compound 2,4-dithiapentane will mimic the primary aroma of truffles and ever since, commercially available truffle oil has included “truffle aroma” as the main ingredient in truffle oil. Sadly 2,4-dithiapentane smells like diesel and leaves out the other supporting complex web of aromas of the truffle that you poor person will never experience. Unless… you hunt down the two or three companies that actually make honest truffle oil by seeping actual truffles in olive oil. You don’t have to be rich, you just have to be discerning. Stay away from anything with “truffle flavor” and focus on finding actual truffles in the ingredients list. Then put some on your popcorn or mashed potatoes and for a moment you catch a glimpse of a wonderful culinary world that you will never afford.
Or you can just go to Pizzeria Antica for their funghi pizza, made with a drizzle of actual truffle oil.