ARCHIVED - Cartagena Town Hall devotes land in Tallante to experimental desert truffle cultivation

The gastronomic delicacy is ideally suited to the climate of the Costa Cálida

For a few years now various agriculturalists and chefs in the Region of Murcia have been extolling the virtues of the desert truffle as a gastronomic delicacy and a viable crop which requires very little water to prosper, and in this context the Town Hall of Cartagena has announced that a plot of 1,500 square metres in the rural district of Tallante, on the RM-332 road between Cartagena and Puerto de Mazarrón, is to be devoted to the experimental cultivation of the edible fungus.

The decision has been made after local chefs used the desert truffle recently at the Madrid Fusion gastronomic event, and after consulting with the Professor of Vegetable Production at the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT), Juan José Martínez. Mayoress Ana Belén Castejón expresses the hope that this product could revitalize agriculture in the west of the municipality of Cartagena, and the Town Hall has also announced that on 20^th February a day of special events related to the desert truffle will be held in the village of Tallante. This will include demonstrations of how to cultivate the crop and of how to use it in culinary dishes.

Although its appearance is unpromising, the need for minimal watering and a high product value make the desert truffle an interesting alternative crop in Murcia, and successful pilot schemes have already been run in various locations over the last couple of years. Watering is required only when the truffles are planted and then in the late summer and autumn, between August and November, before the final product can be harvested after around 2 years.

At present the market price of desert truffles in Spain fluctuates between 15 and 30 euros per kilo, and in general a hectare of land devoted to the crop produces around 600 kilos per year. This has already made it attractive enough to be cultivated in northern and central Murcia, but it is still very much a minor product in the overall context of the agricultural sector of the Region.

The term “desert truffle” is used to refer to edible hypogeous fungi (fungi that live entirely underground) growing in arid and semi-arid areas of the Mediterranean region, and as a delicacy they are generally more appreciated in Africa and the Middle East. They grow naturally in Spain, where popular names differ from region to region: in Murcia they are generally referred to as “turmas”, whereas in Extremadura they are “patatas de tierra” or “criadillas de tierra”, in Lanzarote “papas crías” and in Fuerteventura “criadas”.

The Romans knew about “desert truffles” and called them “tuber” which in Latin means “hump” or “lump”, probably on account of the bulge they make in the ground when mature. At this point they begin to crack the surface of the ground, and nothing more than good eyesight is needed to detect them.

The only factor needed for desert truffles to thrive is a symbiotic relationship with plants of the sun rose genus (Helianthemum), and since these are natives of the Region of Murcia this does not present any major problems.

As a culinary product the “turma” is a good source of protein and anti-oxidants, but it is rarely found in commercial plantations as people simply collect it from the countryside. It is generally eaten roast or fried, although it can also be used in making omelettes and stews, and sometimes in rice dishes and sauces.

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