Truffles are delicious. Truffles are expensive. Truffled items on menus are often a dirty, evil trick.
To clarify, we said they often are. Eater’s “How to Avoid the Most Common Fake Foods On Restaurant Menus” reveals the truth about some questionable restaurant practices and if you’re human someone who likes to get down on a plate of truffle fries now and again, you might want to tread lightly.
Popular items like said fries and truffle macaroni and cheese are made with the elusive truffle oil, which the article says “has nothing whatsoever to do with truffles” and “is a made up substance, manufactured just like perfume, entirely fake and chemical.”
Ouch.
When you think about it, it makes sense. Considering the fact that truffles can cost upwards of $1,200 per pound, chances are your local pub isn’t shelling out the big bucks to generously sprinkle it over your $5 side order of fries.
And while it’s impossible to blanket all restaurants as being guilty of this horrible crime, it’s important to consider that even top chefs admit its inauthenticity. A New York Times piece written on the subject by chef Daniel Patterson once explained that truffles are “difficult to capture in an oil under the best of circumstances.”
Head to Eater for more foods to be wary of and tips for being a more informed diner.
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