Source: Atlas Obscura
In the early spring, the truffle souq in Al Rai, just northwest of Kuwait City, bustles with connoisseurs sniffing for white and beige culinary gold. The demand for desert truffles, called fagga in Kuwait, is so high that over 500 vendors apply each year for the 120-odd stalls available at the market, which was set up in 2006.
The arid stretches of sand in the deserts of the Middle East and North Africa are prime ground for these desert truffles, which, unlike their dark European counterparts, are lighter in color and pungency. They are also cheaper.
Kuwait’s local production of their favorite truffle dropped after the Iraqi invasion in 1990. Since that time, foragers have been afraid of roaming the desert for wild truffles, as the Iraqi army left behind unexploded landmines. Kuwait’s changing landscape and climate has also affected production: To grow, the truffles require rain, which can be irregular, and recent urban encroachment on the desert has left less space for truffles. Most of Kuwait’s desert truffles now come from other…
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