Truffle festival makes debut in Saudi Arabia

Cairo: The first edition of a festival for truffles, an edible underground fungus, was launched in Saudi Arabia’s North Border region, which is famous for the popular delicacy.

The four-day event, being held in the Turaif governorate, has drawn a high visitor turnout on its first day, according to the Saudi news agency SPA.

Organised by the provincial branch of the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture, the festival is witnessing the participation of dozens of the truffle vendors and marketeers.

“The festival includes a market for truffles,” said head of the ministry’s branch in the North Border region Ebrahim Al Shuyman.

The event, he added, is part of the ministry’s efforts to highlight the province’s tourism and economic attractions.

Seasonal truffles are usually in high demand in Saudi Arabia following rainfall. Search for truffles gets underway in the second half of January in rain-hit sites.

The fungus market has recently seen a brisk business in several regions in the kingdom, mainly in the Northern Border, according to Al Arabiya TV.

Prized as a desert fungus delicacy, several types of truffles are available at the Saudi market.

Truffles retail for SR250 to SR600 per kilo, depending on the size, Al Arabiya quoted experts as saying.

A box of truffles can sell for up to SR3,000.

In recent years, Saudi Arabia has stepped up efforts to market its resources and diversify its oil-reliant economy under an ambitious development scheme known as Saudi Vision 2030.

Saudi Arabia designated 2022 as the “Year of Saudi Coffee”, a popular national drink, which was celebrated through a wide array of events and competitions.

The Ministry of Culture renamed Arabic coffee to Saudi coffee at all restaurants and coffee shops in the kingdom.