Once the exclusive preserve of the kitchens of kings, now truffles are available to anyone with a pig, a dog, a deep wallet or a highly developed olfactory organ. The nose knows, you see. The golden nose will find the truffle and dine out for months on tales of underground prowess in solving the cultivation mystery of the magical vegetable. Half root, half mushroom, the truffle is crown prince of the underground, and because they give off the same odor as the male hormone testosterone, that's where our trained animal associates come in. They know the score, know what's worth hunting for. It's about priorities, and this volume is absolutely on the same track. Not so much a book as a hymn to the truffle experience, it's all here. Learn how the Romans esteemed the big T, follow its progress across the plates of centuries, gaze at the mouth-moistening pictures, and then put your boots on and start looking. Truffle heaven is here. With all-courses recipes from leading truffle-meister Patrick Jaros, who's worked with Munich superchef Eckhart Witzigmann, you too can be a gourmet god. Forget the Lottery, forget the holy grail, somewhere there are truffles with your name on. The Gold Rush has nothing on this.