Truffles are one of the world’s most expensive ingredients: A pound of the black variety can cost approximately $1000, and white ones are about three times that amount. They are also pretty hard to come by, considering they can take six to seven years to grow and can only be found with the help of specially-trained pigs and dogs that snort or dig them up. So, diners are usually impressed when they see “truffled” items on a menu. Diner beware — all too often, the menu on the item doesn’t have a single shaving of the subterranean specialty item. Except, of all places, at Shake Shack, whose executive chef and vice president of culinary innovation, John Karangis, says uses real black truffle for its four-item Black Truffle Menu.
As Karangis shared with Chowhound exclusively, “The biggest giveaway when spotting truffle on a menu? The aroma — real truffle has a deep, earthy scent.” One of the biggest differences between white and black truffles is their smell. The strong pepper and garlic odor you often smell when you buy either white or black truffle products is more akin to that of white truffles than black. That’s because truffle oil makers –- unless they are the rare few that use the actual fungi –- add an aromatic compound prevalent in white truffles for flavor. But, to Karangis, “It’s all about balance and authenticity, and we believe real ingredients make for a better, more flavorful experience.”
Shake Shack uses truffle oil that contains the real thing
The restaurant chain uses Italian olive oil brand Bartolini Emilio for its Black Truffle menu items, which include the Black Truffle Burger, the Black Truffle ‘Shroom, the Black Truffle Shack Stack, and Black Truffle Parmesan Fries. Shake Shack first introduced the limited-time-only menu in 2020, but had previously used Regalis Foods’ USDA Organic White Truffle Arbequina Oil. The chain has not said when the items will be rotated off the menu.
If you’re not dining at Shake Shack, the best way to know whether or not the restaurant is using real truffles is to ask whether or not the restaurant uses truffle flavorings. You can request the waiters shave the truffles in front of you, a common practice in some parts of Europe and some fine dining restaurants in the U.S. You can also give it the sniff test. Truffle-flavored products often have a very strong smell –- which is why Gordon Ramsay hates truffle oil with a passion. If you want to add truffle oil to popcorn or scrambled eggs at home, check to see whether or not it says truffle flavor. If it does, you’re not adding the real thing.
