The surprise discovery of wild truffles growing in the rooftop garden of a Mercure Hotel in Paris has spurred dreams of riches and delicious meals. It's the first time truffles have been found growing in Paris.
The actual truffle, the 'tuber brumale' is a black winter truffle, but not the super-expensive Perigord variety. This one, said to have a flavor reminiscent of the other, but with a musky nut-like undertone, sells for only hundreds of Euros per kilo, not thousands.
Nonetheless, the discovery has set off a search of other roof gardens, and there is even a suspicion that the micro-climates created by roof gardens may be especially favorable to their growth. The Museum of Natural History, which released news of the find, said that "The discovery of this wild truffle is a wonderful example of how roof gardens and green roofs have a huge potential for urban biodiversity."
The discovery was made at the base of a hornbeam tree on the hotel's roof by Frederic Madre, a researcher from the museum, and a co-founder of Topager, which has been active in putting organic gardens on a number of major buildings in the city.
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