HAFR AL-BATEN, 2 February 2003 — The truffle market in Hafr Al-Baten, the largest in the kingdom, is doing brisk business with the price of the fungi soaring to SR500 per kilo.
Large numbers of Saudis enjoy truffles, which are considered a delicacy in the Arabian Peninsula, at this time of the year.
The fungi form a small mound in the ground and are usually found near a plant known in the northern region as jerraid or regroog.
Truffle yield is low this year in the wake of scanty rainfall in the region, Sahan Abdullah Al-Onazy, a truffles trader in Hafr Al-Baten, told Arab News yesterday.
He said he found truffles in Al-Shoaba, Samah, Al-Homleteyyat, and Arreqei.
“We also sell these truffles to markets in Riyadh, Qassim and Jeddah,” he added.
There are two kinds of truffles sold in Hafr Al-Baten, he said. Most precious is the white kind, also known as Zubaidi, which fetches SR500 per kilo. Red truffles are cheaper, he said.
Some truffle lovers heading for the market questioned the origin of the delicacy. “There are some imported truffles,” said Abdulaziz Al-Mutairy, a buyer in Hafr Al-Baten.
“Only experts can determine the origin of truffles,” he added. Saudi Arabian truffles are considered of better quality.
Truffle lovers travel to Hafr Al-Baten truffle market from neighboring areas and from as far afield as Kuwait and Qatar.
