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In Europe, truffle hunting is a prized sport. In Syria, it’s a potential death sentence.
Middle Eastern black and white truffles have long been collected by Syrians, a delicacy that they forage after the winter storms have passed. But recently, the truffle hunters have become the hunted, and at least 84 people have already been killed while looking for fungi this year, according to a New York Times report from Monday.
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In the country’s central and eastern desert, you’ll find these Middle Eastern truffles, which have a milder taste than European truffles and are used in dishes the way meat or mushrooms would be. While they don’t sell for as much money as their European cousins, the truffles are a way for Syrians to make some extra cash. One truffle hunter told the Times that he had heard of some people making 3 million lira (about $400) a day.
“It’s an enticing sum,” Baha Sulieman said. “That is what has led people to risk their lives.”
For Syrians, who make a salary of about $35 a month on average, it’s’s a bounty worth pursuing. In the country 90 percent of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the United Nations, and more than 50 percent find it difficult to get enough food. Combine that with unemployment, inflation, and a collapsing currency, and the dangers of truffle hunting may seem worth it to some.
Those dangers include land mines, gunmen, and kidnappers—all potentially leading to death. While it’s unclear who’s targeting the truffle hunters, Syrian state media have placed the blame on the Islamic State, which has sleeper cells active in the desert.
To stay safe, some foragers rely on pro-government forces for protection. These groups can provide information on where land mines are located, but they also take a large cut of the profits hunters make off the truffles they find. One person told The New York Times that soldiers would take half of their harvest and buy the rest at half the market rate, effectively getting three-quarters of the overall profits. Others say that these forces may be orchestrating some of the deadly attacks themselves, to scare foragers into bringing them along on future trips.
Whatever the case may be, the recent deaths associated with truffle hunting have changed the activity, turning it from a highly anticipated yearly tradition into a purely dangerous outing.
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