truffles are an indulgent food enjoyed across the world.

松露是全世界都喜愛的奢侈食品。

But these fragrant fungi will cost you.

但這些芬芳的真菌會讓你付出代價。

In 2014, the world's largest white truffle was flown

2014年，世界上最大的白松露被空運到美國

to New York accompanied by a security guard

在一名保全陪同下前往紐約

and sold at auction for $61,000.

並在拍賣會上以 61 000 美元的價格售出。

Discovered in Italy, this gigantic fungus

在意大利發現的這種巨大的真菌

weighed almost 2 kilos.

重達近 2 公斤。

So, what is it that makes them so expensive?

那麼，是什麼讓它們如此昂貴呢？

There are a lot of types of truffle.

松露有很多種類。

There are at least 40 species, many of which aren't edible,

至少有 40 個物種，其中許多不能食用、

and new species have been discovered as recently as 2018.

最近在 2018 年又發現了新物種。

You've probably seen luxury truffle products

您可能見過奢華的松露產品

in supermarkets or fancy restaurants,

超市或高級餐廳、

but the unique truffle flavor you recognize

但您能品嚐到獨特的松露風味

might not be real truffle at all.

可能根本就不是真正的松露。

Cheap truffle oil often hasn't been

廉價的松露油往往沒有經過加工處理。

anywhere near a real truffle.

真正的松露。

Many cheaper truffle products use 2,4-dithiapentane,

許多便宜的松露產品都使用 2,4-二硫代戊烷、

a synthesized compound containing one

含有一個

of the main aromatic components of foot odor,

是腳臭的主要芳香成分之一、

guaranteed to give it that "earthy" taste.

保證讓它有 "泥土 "的味道。

Real truffles are seasonal and pricey,

真正的松露是季節性的，價格昂貴、

with a short shelf life.

保質期短。

They were originally sniffed out using truffle pigs,

它們最初是用松露豬嗅出來的、

but while pigs are very good at finding truffles,

但豬卻非常善於尋找松露、

they're also very good at eating them, too.

它們也很會吃。

And these days, dogs are much more common

而如今，狗更常見了

truffle-hunting companions.

松露狩獵同伴

These fungi can be found across the world,

這些真菌遍佈世界各地、

but they all require a very specific climate to grow.

但它們都需要非常特殊的氣候才能生長。

While different varieties may have

雖然不同品種可能有

somewhat different requirements, one thing is certain.

但有一點是肯定的。

You can't have truffles without trees.

沒有樹，就沒有松露。

James Feaver: Truffles are always found with trees,

詹姆斯-費弗松露總是和樹木在一起、

and they have to be the right type of trees.

而且必須是正確類型的樹木。

Under the ground, the truffle is just the fruiting body,

在地下，松露只是果實體、

so an equivalent to an apple.

所以相當於蘋果。

And we've also got a lot of then what we call

我們還有很多我們稱之為

the mycelium, microscopic-level threads,

菌絲，微觀層面的線、

and up to 100 meters in a teaspoon of soil.

而在一茶匙土壤中最多可達 100 米。

And this mycelium is actually attached to the roots

而這種菌絲實際上是附著在根部的

of a tree like the fingers of glove onto a hand.

就像手套的手指戴在手上一樣。

And it sort of extends the reach of the tree out.

這也算是把樹的範圍擴大了。

And it actually takes up water and nutrients

它實際上佔用了水和養分

and passes them to the tree, and the tree gives it sugars

並把它們傳遞給樹，樹就會給它糖分

in return, so to help the truffles, the fruit, develop.

作為回報，這有助於松露和果實的生長。

Narrator: Even when you have exactly the right conditions,

旁白：即使你有完全正確的條件

truffles aren't guaranteed,

松露是沒有保證的、

and hunting them is a labor-intensive process.

狩獵它們是一個勞動密集型過程。

Once you know where to look, you have to sniff out

一旦你知道該去哪裡找，你就必須嗅出

and dig up each truffle by hand,

並親手挖出每一顆松露、

and they can be tricky to find.

而且很難找到。

Feaver: Good boy, thank you, good boy, come!

費弗好孩子，謝謝你，好孩子，來！

So he just told us there it's still in the ground.

所以他告訴我們它還在地裡

So do I want to take it out of the ground or not?

那我到底要不要把它從地裡拔出來？

It all depends on if it's ripe.

這完全取決於它是否成熟。

If it's unripe, there's no point in having it.

如果不成熟，就沒有吃的必要。

So the nose comes into play.

是以，鼻子就開始發揮作用了。

And we actually sniff the ground for it.

我們還真的在地上聞了聞。

Narrator: It may take a while,

旁白：可能要花點時間

but finding a good one can make it worth the work.

但是，如果能找到一個好幫手，就不枉此行。

Feaver: Yeah, that's a nice one.

費弗爾：是啊，這個不錯。

Yeah, that's probably about

是的，大概就是這樣

70, 80 grams.

70、80 克。

Narrator: Truffles also have a short season,

旁白：松露的生長期也很短、

often appearing for only a few months of the year.

通常在一年中只出現幾個月。

And even when you do get your hands on them,

即使你拿到了它們、

they don't last for long.

它們不會持續太久。

Feaver: An unripe truffle, unlike a tomato,

費弗未熟的松露，與番茄不同、

which you could cut from the vine

你可以從葡萄樹上摘下來

and ripen on your windowsill,

並在窗臺上成熟、

once the truffle is out of the ground, the clock is ticking.

一旦松露出土，時間就開始流逝。

So it's just sort of slowly gonna degrade over time.

所以，隨著時間的推移，它會慢慢退化。

So we want to get it out to the customers nice and fast.

是以，我們希望能又快又好地把它送到客戶手中。

Narrator: After just five days out of the ground,

旁白：在離開地面僅僅五天之後

that pungent truffle smell will have halved.

那刺鼻的松露香味就會減半。

You can farm many truffle varieties,

您可以種植多種松露、

besides the rare Italian whites.

除了罕見的意大利白葡萄酒

Many people have been successful

許多人都取得了成功

in setting up truffle orchards, but it's not easy.

但這並不容易。

Trees need to be planted in the right soil conditions,

樹木需要種植在合適的土壤條件中、

inoculated with truffle fungus,

接種松露菌、

and often irrigated constantly.

而且經常不斷灌溉。

It can take as long as six years

可能需要長達六年的時間

before you get a good truffle harvest,

才會有好的松露收成、

and there's no guarantee that the fungi will grow at all.

而且還不能保證真菌會生長。

So after all that effort, what do they actually taste like?

那麼，經過這麼多努力，它們的味道究竟如何呢？

Ju Shardlow: Ooh.

朱-夏德洛哦

Claudia Romeo: Hm.

克勞迪婭-羅密歐Hm.

Leon Siciliano: The smell just made me think

萊昂-西西里亞諾這氣味讓我想到

it was gonna be really strong.

會非常強。

The flavor is actually quite subtle.

味道其實很微妙。

There's a nuttiness there.

有一種瘋狂的感覺。

There's, like, an earthy flavor there.

有一種泥土的味道。

Ju: Actually quite light and fragrant.

Ju：其實很淡很香。

It tastes a lot nicer than it smells.

它的味道比聞起來要好得多。

It smells like damp socks.

聞起來像溼襪子。

Claudia: That's good.

很好。

I mean, this is the first time I've actually eaten

我是說，這是我第一次真正吃到

a truffle by itself.

一塊松露

You know, it's a bit like mushroom,

你知道，這有點像蘑菇、

but it's more of a meaty, meaty bite.

但它更多的是一種肉質的咬合感。

Narrator: These days, farming has taken over

旁白：如今，農業已經取代了

as our primary source of truffles,

作為松露的主要來源、

and today, 70% of the world's truffles are cultivated.

如今，世界上 70% 的松露都是人工種植的。

Through the loss of woodland and climate change,

由於林地減少和氣候變化、

the number of wild truffles has decreased significantly.

野生松露的數量大幅減少。

Since the 19th century, production in France has fallen

自 19 世紀以來，法國的產量下降了

from over 1,000 tonnes a season to just 30 tonnes.

從每季 1,000 多噸減少到只有 30 噸。

And climate change could mean that truffles will disappear

氣候變化可能意味著松露將消失

altogether in the future.

在未來，這將是一個全新的概念。

Feaver: The weather conditions are so important,

費弗天氣條件非常重要、

not just immediately, over the whole season.

不只是馬上，而是整個賽季。

We're getting much lower numbers

我們得到的數字要低得多

and much lower average size.

平均尺寸也小得多。

A truffle is about 70% water,

松露中約有 70% 的水分、

so it needs rainfall to help it grow.

是以，它需要降雨來幫助生長。

Some UK truffle scientists are thinking

一些英國松露科學家正在思考

that your traditional areas,

的傳統領域、

the climate is gonna move further north,

氣候將進一步北移、

and they're not gonna have a truffle industry

他們不會有松露產業

within I think perhaps 50 years.

我想，也許在 50 年之內。

There's threats, there's opportunities,

有威脅，也有機遇、

but rain, we do need rain.

但雨，我們確實需要雨。

When we get a dry summer,

夏季乾燥時

the holidaymakers, they're delighted,

度假者們非常高興、

but I keep crossing my fingers

但我一直在祈禱

for a bit of rain every now and again.

時不時下點雨。