Truffle season is back and is sending hunters out into the desert in search of this elusive treat. “The truffle appears at the end of the rainy season,” said Musa Al-Shamari, a truffle hunter who sells his harvest for as much as SR1,250 (about $330) per kilogram. “It grows in large quantities in the north region.”
Saudis often refer to it as the “thunder plant,” which has its roots in an ancient association with the fungus and thunderstorms. Desert truffles are found throughout the Middle East and North Africa and subsequently are known by different names, including terfez, faqa and kamma. The zibaidi truffle is white and about the size of an orange.
The khulasi truffle is smaller and reddish brown. The jubbi is dark on the outside and white underneath. The hubbar resembles the jubbi, but is considered tasteless and used only to indicate the beginning of the season, which lasts only a few weeks as wet winter turns into the green spring . The desert truffle is a prized culinary ingredient, and Saudis like Al-Shamari often hunt them for profit. Others keep what they find and use them throughout the year. The desert truffle usually grows in the desert areas near tree roots in groups of 20 or so of various sizes. They can be detected as cracks in the sandy patina, formed as they swell in size. When this happens certain flying insects (truffle hunters themselves) can be seen hovering over the spot. It often takes an expert eye to be a successful truffle hunter, as the author who writes anonymously on the “Sand Gets in Your Eyes” blog pointed out in 2007:
“We started asking everyone and anyone we came across if they knew where we might be able to find kamma,” she writes. “And pretty soon it became obvious that everyone but us had already found their kamma — found them and enjoyed them grated over some stew just the night before!”
A popular dish in the Middle East is scrambled eggs with kamma served in flat bread. Both the Pharaohs of Egypt and Emperors of Rome savored the fungus, and there are references to desert truffles in texts throughout this part of the world. The truffle is even mentioned in Tirmidhi Hadith 1127, where the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) praised the juice of the desert truffle as a remedy for eye infections. (In fact, certain species indeed contains antibacterial peptides that can fight staph infections.)
Bedouin search for truffles during the early morning hours and start their search quickly after the first signs of spring take root. According to truffle trader Al-Shamari, this tasty fungus has another valued property. “It is also a sexual stimulant,” he said. While there is no empirical evidence that aphrodisiacs exist, the 19th-century French gastronome Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin once famously wrote of the truffle: “The truffle is not exactly an aphrodisiac, but it tends to make women more tender and men more likeable.”
Unfortunately, for those seeking to plan an adventure in search of the desert delicacy, the locals have already probably gotten to the most easy-to-find caches. Better luck next year!
