by Jeremy Beacock
Truffles have been called the diamonds of the kitchen.
松露有『廚房的鑽石』之稱。
You may know the expensive chocolate
truffle, a
dessert in the shape of a small
rough ball, but do you know the
fungus that it takes its name from? This
highly-prized ingredient used in European cooking is famous for its unique smell, which some people
describe as similar to _(1)_ of goat's
urine, and strong
flavor. This might not sound
appealing, but truffles can sell for _(2)_ NT$180,000 a kilogram.
Where do these extremely expensive
fungi come from? Many kinds of truffle grow all over the world, North America and China _(3)_. However, the most famous truffles, black and white, have always grown in Italy, France, and Spain. There, truffle hunting is big business.
Professional truffle hunters are careful to
keep the _(4)_ of their favorite sites
secret. They train pigs and dogs to find the buried truffles because both of these animals
are very
good at _(5)_ the fungus. The pigs' mouths have to be covered, though; _(6)_, the truffles would become extremely expensive pig food.
Black truffles look like small, rough potatoes. The real prize is the rarer white truffle. White truffles look like small white stones, but they can grow _(7)_ bigger than the black truffle. The biggest white truffle found recently, at around 1.5 kilograms, was sold for an
astronomical sum of more than NT$900,000.
At these prices, truffles are one of the most expensive foods in the world. It's hard to explain their strange
allure, but as a food writer once noted, they might be less
esteemed if they were cheaper.
1. (A) which (B) that (C) those (D) what
2. (A) such as (B) far from (C) up to (D) as far as
3. (A) included (B) including (C) includes (D) to include
4. (A) sceneries (B) destinations (C) landmarks (D) locations
5. (A) taking over(B) looking after (C) sniffing out (D) depending on
6. (A) whereas (B) consequently (C) instead (D) otherwise
7. (A) more (B) much (C) great (D) many
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