Mystery surrounds discovery of wild truffle growing on Paris rooftop

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A wild truffle has been found growing beneath a hornbeam tree on the roof garden of a Mercure hotel close the Eiffel Tower in central Paris, an extraordinary discovery given that the usual habitat of the much sought-after mushroom, which commands thousands of euros per kilo, is normally limited to certain regions of southern Europe.

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Urban scientists and Paris foodies are getting excited about a bizarre discovery atop a hotel near the Eiffel Tower: the first-ever wild truffle growing in the French capital, reports The Washington Post.

It’s just one 25-gram (0.9-ounce) winter truffle. But truffles normally sprout only in limited areas of southern Europe, and are so rare that the most prized versions can sell for thousands of euros per kilogram.

France's National Museum of National History, which confirmed the discovery Friday, called it a “beautiful example” of environmental benefits of rooftop gardens sprouting across Paris and other cities.

Read more of this AP report published by The Washington Post.

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