At the truffle festival held in the Shari Center in the Al-Qassim region of Saudi Arabia, vendors showcased large quantities of truffles amidst various activities. This was part of a wide auction where the price for a half-kilo truffle exceeded 2,000 riyals. The price variation is attributed to the size of the truffles, with larger ones, weighing between half a kilo and a kilo, being particularly desirable to buyers, some of whom dry and store them for use in the following year.
Experts and sellers attributed the high prices of truffles, reaching into the thousands, to their rarity, short growing season, and the difficulty of searching for and collecting them. The festival garnered significant interaction from truffle enthusiasts who use them for cooking their favorite traditional dishes.
It is worth noting that truffles or "kam'ah" are a type of fungal plant that grows underground and is currently experiencing a resurgence in cultivation. Their trade flourishes right after winter, especially in Saudi Arabia. The high prices are primarily due to their relatively rare appearance, typically linked to the amount of rainfall and occurrences of lightning and thunder. Additionally, the gathering process requires considerable time and effort, as searching for truffles demands patience and expertise to locate areas where they thrive, which can be identified by the presence of the "Raqruq" plant that grows nearby.
