Celebrating Oregon’s Truffle Bounty

Truffles are the ultimate gourmet food—seasonal with a short shelf life, unique and rich in flavor, and rare (which makes them expensive). They are also going to be big in Oregon. Right now the situation seems akin to the state’s wine industry in the 70s just when it was becoming apparent that Northwest Pinot Noir could go head-to-head with French Burgundy. The climate here is truffle friendly and they are abundant, but the industry is relatively young and underdeveloped, while the truffles themselves are underappreciated compared to their celebrated European counterparts; at $560 a pound they are (believe it or not) also considerably cheaper. It is estimated that eventually the Oregon crop could be worth $200 million annually.

Now in its tenth year the Oregon Truffle Festival showcases our local bounty with everything from a growers forum to truffle-dog training and gourmet dinners; events take place in Portland, Eugene and Yamhill wine country. However, they can be costly unless you have deep pockets or are truly dedicated to the “diamond of the kitchen”—the Walk on the Wild Side gala dinner featuring seven chefs from Oregon and Washington is $165, while an epicurious weekend pass starts at $550—but there are more reasonable options: the Truffle Market Places (there’s one in Eugene and Newberg), which have tastings, lectures and cooking demonstrations, as well as the Inaugural North American Truffle Dog Championship, are all $15 per entry. Oregon Truffle Festival, various venues, January 15-18 and 23-25, oregontrufflefestival.com for full details