Will black truffles disappear in a few years?

THEY may be the epitome of fine dining – but black truffles could disappear from menus by the end of the century, according to scientists.

Researchers say harvests could be dramatically reduced by rising summer temperatures and drier soil in the Mediterranean.

View this post on Instagram

Elles ont traversé l'Atlantique et seront demain sur la table de l'Atelier Robuchon à New York. - @latelier_robuchonnyc #atelierrobuchon #truffes #truffles #triptonyc #foodtrip #nyc #travelwithstyle #eatwithstyle

A post shared by Thierry Richard(@thierry.richard.paris) on Dec 2, 2018 at 1:42am PST

They looked at nearly 40 years of climate projections, concluding that rainfall could drop by a quarter in northern Spain and southern France between 2071 and 2100. This could wipe out the entire black truffle winter harvest or, in the best case scenario, cut it by 78 per cent.

View this post on Instagram

@thetruffleist serves a burger topped with truffles and fried burrata. 😍🍔 #cheeseinsider

A post shared by CHEESE INSIDER(@thisisinsidercheese) on Oct 24, 2018 at 8:45am PDT

However lead researcher Dr Paul Thomas, from the University of Stirling, added: ‘The decline may well occur in advance of this date, when other climate change factors are taken into account.’ Truffles are known as ‘black diamonds’ because of their rarity and can cost hundreds of pounds per kilogram.

Daily Mail