
Qassim municipality is generally known for truffles cultivation in Saudi Arabia.
Recently, the township of Sheri, in Qassim, has hosted its fourth Truffle Festival to support locally grown truffles and foster the region’s economy.
Held to foster locally grown truffles and enhance the region’s economy, the festival highlighted the participation of various public and private entities.
In the same context, Qassim municipality announced that the 10-day festival featured 18 areas displaying truffles from over 15 farms.

Therefore, the event served as a valuable platform for Saudi businesses and entrepreneurs to display their products and services. Meanwhile, it offered a significant opportunity to elevate the Kingdom’s burgeoning culinary industry.
Interestingly, the festival also featured 32 areas dedicated to families involved in cottage industries. In addition, they displayed various products for instance dates, honey and other foods.
In order to offer unforgettable experiences for all visitors, the Truffle Festival boasted paragliding shows, a children’s theater, hospitality zones, and other attractions.
Truffles, often found in high-end restaurant menus, are known for being a luxurious and expensive ingredient. They are the spore-producing parts of an edible fungus in the family Tuberaceae which lives underground, especially around the roots of trees in damp forests.
Local farmer Eng. Abdulkarim Saleh Al-Rasheed told the Saudi Press Agency that successful cultivation depends on several factors for instance irrigation timing, water salinity, soil fertility, and temperature. As for truffles, the optimal temperature is measured ten days after the wasm (a traditional weather marker).

At that time, the temperature in northern Qassim reaches between 15 and 20 degrees Celsius. Consequently, the irrigation usually starts around September 25 in areas where the Helianthemum plant spreads. Eventually, truffles typically start to appear roughly 50 days later.
In addition, Al-Rasheed clarified that cultivated truffles in northern Qassim usually begin to appear around November 20.
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