... a lively exposé ... That culture of silence may be why many of the crimes Mr. Jacobs describes aren’t solved—they just fizzle—and why he had to pad some of his reporting, especially on the early stages of the truffle’s supply chain, with tedious descriptions of offices or the act of a farmer retrieving a truffle from a pig’s mouth. But once he moves on to the truffle traders, his writing comes alive. While I was surprised he neglected to investigate Italy’s tourist-fleecing International Alba White Truffle Fair, he certainly delivers on the retail market’s rascally middlemen and -women, and the degree to which they compromise their integrity in what is ultimately a self-regulating industry ... Mr. Jacobs demonstrates his reporting strength in his detailed exploration of truffle cons and the detective work that has uncovered some of them ... if you’d like to be a more successful truffle consumer, this is the book for you. But even if truffles are beyond your pay grade, there is plenty of enjoyment to be had in the sheer devilment portrayed in this informative and appetizing book.
acobs does a remarkable job reporting from the front lines of the truffle industry, bringing to vivid life French black-truffle farmers, Italian white-truffle foragers, and their marvelously well-trained dogs ... Foodies will learn perhaps too much here—they might never again be able to simply relish a truffle, naive of its power to unleash mayhem and murder—but they’ll certainly enjoy doing so.
Jacobs looks behind the myth and the glamor of the fungus that makes gourmets swoon, and pulls back the curtain to unmask a tawdry world of theft, intrigue, and betrayal ... Jacobs’ writing is engaging, so if you’ve never eaten a truffle, you’ll want to have that experience. If you have, he will leave you wondering just how it made it onto your plate. He will also convince you to ban ersatz truffle products from your life ... This well-researched, well-written book is a thoroughly enjoyable read; there are footnotes. It is a shame that its publisher didn’t spend more money on this book, it deserved a better quality production.
... riveting ... Jacobs weaves the fascinating scientific and historical backstory of the elusive culinary delicacy known as truffles with the stealthy feel of a diamond heist or spy operation ... Jacobs’ years covering international crime as an investigative reporter translate perfectly, as he drills down into the inner workings of the truffle underground ... an eye--opening tale that brings to light the fact that food items can be just as valuable as any other goods, especially when harvests are uncertain.
... reads less like one contiguous narrative and more like a series of related magazine articles — which, considering that Jacobs is an editor at Pacific Standard, makes a certain kind of sense. His book is a rigorously reported, carefully written, endlessly interesting immersion in a high-stakes subculture. It’s just not the yarn it promises to be ... While this halting rhythm can be frustrating, the book is so packed with fascinating facts that it almost doesn’t matter ... Jacobs conjures vivid, even ecstatic prose about how truffles intoxicate the senses ... he truffle is so ethereal that, even when it’s right under your nose, it remains somehow tantalizingly out of reach. And in that way, it is much like the book itself.
... as much about human nature as it is about a little-known corner of the food industry. In the guise of a crisply written and engaging story about a rare, astronomically priced delicacy, Jacobs has produced a contemporary morality tale about capitalism and consumerism. While he exposes the underbelly of the truffle industry, he reminds us that consumers themselves drive it. If we are what we eat, then we best not let our voracious appetites devour our better values.
... a smart, revealing exposé into how that expensive piece of fungus made it to your plate, and the extreme lengths scammers go to farm and steal them. True crime nerds, this is the unsuspecting story you've been waiting for.
... entertaining, revealing ... Jacobs brings his considerable skills as an investigative reporter to the fiercely competitive business of marketing truffles ... A deftly crafted tale of obsessions and true crime in the culinary world.
... fascinating ... This deeply researched and eye-opening account of the lengths people will go for wealth, gratification, and a taste of the prized fungus will captivate readers.
