CHAPTER 333: CHAPTER 333: TRUFFLES AND PIG-FORAGED MUSHROOMS

Truffle foie gras, truffle foie gras.

Since the focus isn’t on the foie gras, then it’s on the truffles.

Chen Yiyang has recently gained some understanding of truffles through supplementing his culinary knowledge.

Truffles, foie gras, and caviar are known as the world’s three major delicacies, among which truffles are praised as the diamonds of the kitchen.

Of course, these are unilateral statements from French chefs.

However, the expensive price of truffles is indeed an indisputable fact.

The price per kilogram of truffles can easily exceed one to two thousand Euros.

Due to the high price of truffles, gourmet enthusiasts on Hong Kong Island have complained, ’A truffle the size of a kumquat can cost several thousand Hong Kong Dollars. Even if high-end restaurants have it, they just use a grater to shave a few slices over pasta or rice, which counts as an expensive dish.’

This shows that whether truffles taste good is another matter, but the price is truly high.

"You want to partner with me to do truffle business?" asked Chen Yiyang.

"Yes, to be precise, you supply the goods, and I’m responsible for driving up the prices."

Young Bocuse took out a piece of truffle and said, "This truffle has no taste difference from regular French black truffles or Italian white truffles.

But because it comes from Huaxia, its price is much cheaper compared to French and Italian truffles.

If you can persuade the companies producing truffles in your country to supply truffles at a low price to our Paul Bocuse Restaurant, then our restaurant is willing to help promote Huaxia truffles’ quality and sell them at high prices to other restaurants."

Young Bocuse truly fell in love with the collaboration model with Chen Yiyang.

After the Huaxia caviar arrived in inventory,

Young Bocuse did some calculations: Paul Bocuse Restaurant has an exclusive supply agreement with Huaxia’s caviar, and the procurement price is very low.

However, he can sell the caviar to customers at a very high price.

This back and forth leads to a substantial profit.

Moreover, because many Michelin restaurants in France now use Huaxia’s caviar, he doesn’t have to worry about being questioned by customers for using cheap substitutes.

Although he has already made considerable profits, earning even more would be better.

Thus, Young Bocuse set his sights on truffles.

"The truffles produced locally in France are really too expensive." Young Bocuse said, "The quality of Huaxia’s truffles is no different from that of French truffles, but the price difference is enormous.

If Paul Bocuse Restaurant can vouch for the quality of Huaxia black truffles, then this should be a win-win situation."

While Bocuse was speaking, Chen Yiyang checked his phone.

Huaxia’s truffles are really not well-known internationally, and even within the country, not many have heard of Huaxia truffles.

Because domestically, this thing has another name, called Yunnan Province pig fungus.

The reason it’s called pig fungus is

because truffles, a fungus growing at the root of broadleaf trees, are generally hidden 5 to 40 centimeters deep underground and are difficult to see with the naked eye.

Moreover, due to its extremely demanding growth conditions, all human attempts at artificial cultivation of truffles have failed for a long time.

To taste this delicacy, one can only manually search.

And how did the earliest people find this buried delicacy?

The answer is leading a sow.

This isn’t a strange custom but actually has scientific basis.

Because the smell emanating from truffles can excite female pigs, making it easy for them to find these buried truffles.

Therefore, in Huaxia, this thing is generally called pig fungus and is mainly used for soaking medicinal wine or feeding pigs.

Chen Yiyang can hardly imagine his feelings upon someday learning that his country’s most precious food item is used to feed pigs in other countries.

Though the French are generous in some aspects, they’re not that generous.

Therefore, from the moment Huaxia black truffles were known by Europeans, all French chefs steadfastly believed that Huaxia’s truffles aren’t truffles but some kind of tuber, fake truffles.

Even now, many double-blind experiments have confirmed that Huaxia pig fungus is genuine truffle.

Yet many French still find it hard to accept.

This results in the truffles produced in Huaxia Yunnan Province being priced low in Europe.

After listening to Bocuse’s words, Chen Yiyang thought if Bocuse could really help raise the price of Yunnan Province’s truffles, then supplying truffles to his restaurant at a low price isn’t difficult.

Thus, Chen Yiyang said to Young Bocuse, "I’ll get back to you after returning to my country and researching the related industry."

"No problem, I’ll wait for your email." Young Bocuse cheerfully clinked glasses with Chen Yiyang.

Due to delayed responses from Schaefer’s side.

Just when Chen Yiyang was about to leave France, on the day before leaving, Schaefer came to him.

"The French have proposed new terms. In France’s 2030 plan, there’s a project to build a battery recycling plant in France, with subsidy amounts around 50 million Euros."

"As a foreigner, opening a battery recycling plant in France and getting subsidies from the French Government, how difficult would that be."

"Of course, there’s no need to actually open a battery recycling plant."

Schaefer explained to Chen Yiyang, "Right now, battery recycling technology costs remain high, truly opening a factory is absolutely unprofitable.

Our plan is to have the French set up a company. The company will entrust you with the factory construction business. Once you help them build the factory, they’ll apply for subsidies from the French Government and share the funds once the subsidy is granted."

"The construction costs of a battery recycling factory aren’t low either." Chen Yiyang said, "Even if the French Government approves a 50 million Euro subsidy, how much can I get?"

"You don’t need to build a truly operational battery recycling plant, as long as the factory has a premise that can operate normally when government officials come to inspect it.

Even in Europe, building such a factory costs about 10 million Euros or so. Once the French Government’s subsidy is granted, everyone can take 20 million Euros each, how about it."

million Euros sure is a high figure.

But after thinking it over, Chen Yiyang felt this matter was still unreliable.

Partners cheating government subsidies, this happens in every country.

It’s just a matter of whether the situation can be covered up once it’s exposed.

If this matter is entirely handled by the French themselves, it might be okay; the media wouldn’t stir things up much, nor would the government be overly severe.

But if Chen Yiyang, a foreigner, got involved in such a matter,

it’s unpredictable, he might be used as a scapegoat to attract attention.

And maybe even fined heavily as well.

"The proposal lacks sincerity. How about this, I’ll head back home first; when I visit France next time, we can continue discussing."