A small amount of truffles could bring out the taste superbly. However, is the flavour enough reason to purchase an expensive food? We are often riddled with the question if truffles and fungi, in general, would have any nutritional value. In the early Eastern civilizations, mushrooms and fungi are not only considered as food, they are also noted for the medicinal value. If you are located in California, the most popular and abundant truffle variety there is the Oregon truffle, whose popularity is comparable to that of the Italian truffle. The Oregon truffle is less expensive than other truffle types, as it usually costs about $150 per pound. This makes it a great alternative to European truffles. Gourmet Edible Truffles Mushroom lovers would not want to miss out on a chance to eat the rarest and the most expensive type of fungi in the world the truffles. Studies show that truffles are included in the top 10 most expensive natural foods in the world which sells at a whopping US $150,000 and above per pound! So chefs need to handle this mushroom carefully. This walnut-sized truffle quickly loses its flavor and smell after one or two weeks since harvest time. The Piedmont truffle is usually eaten raw. 3. Desert Truffles Also known as the lightning truffle, the desert truffle produces fruit right after rainfall on the desert. An example would be a truffle company in North Carolina, the Garland s Gourmet Mushrooms and Truffles who have been in the truffle business since 1990s. Although, most truffles could be found in the wild, history showed that they were cultivated during 1800s in France. However, the First World War caused serious damage on the truffle cultivation. There are also other types of Chinese Truffles including the tuber melanosporum which are usually made into truffle extracts and is sold at a high price; the tuber himalayensis which looks very similar to the tuber melanosporum an is only harvested in the Chinese Himalayas; the tuber sinensis, which are also found in high places and the Chinese summer white truffle.