# Truffles



## goboenomo (Sep 16, 2006)

Ive never had them... 
Ive seen them used is so many things, including ice cream...
When I told my parents that you could use it in ice cream, they said I was stupid, I was thinking of chocolate truffles.

How does it taste?



Also, how do you classify it.... I know it's a fungus, but when I was trying to find a board to but it in, I was thinking, mushrooms are considered vegetables... is this?


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## Gretchen (Sep 16, 2006)

It's a fungus and I promise that ONLY on Iron Chef would they make ice cream out of them.


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## goboenomo (Sep 16, 2006)

Maybe so, but why would they make it if it tasted bad.

Is fugus the only way you can classify it?


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## GB (Sep 16, 2006)

goboenomo said:
			
		

> Maybe so, but why would they make it if it tasted bad.


These are the same people who have made trout ice cream. It is not something the average person would want to eat.


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## goboenomo (Sep 16, 2006)

Wow! SOunds great! :P


I've never seen that on Iron Chef. But I get your point, they'll make anything out of anything.


Now, can truffles only be classified as a fugus?


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## GB (Sep 16, 2006)

Yes. Just as mushrooms can only be classified as fungus.


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## goboenomo (Sep 16, 2006)

People and grocery stores and ... mostly everything in the outside world uses mushrooms as veggies.


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## GB (Sep 16, 2006)

Yes, but they are still fungus.


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## GB (Sep 16, 2006)

This might help.


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## goboenomo (Sep 16, 2006)

Ok, fair enough, Thanks.


How does it taste?


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## GB (Sep 16, 2006)

I have never actually tried them myself as I am not a fan of fungus in general, but when I do get the opportunity I will give it a shot.


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## goboenomo (Sep 16, 2006)

I'm not either.
I would like to try it though...
It's pretty expensive though, isn't it?


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## GB (Sep 16, 2006)

One of the most expensive, if not the most expensive, food items out there.


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## goboenomo (Sep 16, 2006)

For sure one of the most expensive, but I'm sure real caviar is more.


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## GB (Sep 16, 2006)

No I do not believe it is.


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## goboenomo (Sep 16, 2006)

> The most expensive foods are truffles and real caviar. Truffles may cost up to 500 Euro per 500 g, whereas the best caviar can be bought for 800 Euro per 500 g.
> 
> Specific food ingredients may also be rather expensive, the most expensive
> one being saffron, which costs around 600 Euro per 500 g.


 


I found a resource!


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## GB (Sep 16, 2006)

The worlds most expensive truffle was sold for $112,000. It weighed 2 pounds 10 ounces. 
An expensive brand of caviar of the same weight would go for aprox. $5,000


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## goboenomo (Sep 16, 2006)

Okay, but that truffle is a rarity.

It weighted 2 pounds 10 ounces.

Let's say you have an instrument worth $5000
and a piece of art worth $25000

If Mozart played this instrument, it would be a rarity, and would go for much much much much much more than $5000.


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## goboenomo (Sep 17, 2006)

Did I stump you, GB?


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## Harborwitch (Sep 17, 2006)

Best way to try truffles without breaking the bank is to buy a small bottle of truffle oil.  Drizzle it on top of mac and cheese (homemade!) after it bakes.  Drizzle it on polenta, pasta (not on red sauce).

If you like that you can find truffle butter at several sources on line.  It's not cheap - but a tiny slice on a perfectly cooked steak, or melted on risotto or polenta with lots of parm is pure heaven.  There is also truffle salt.  I'm dying to add that to my spice rack.  

The flavor is earthy, a bit garlicy, makes my eyes roll back in my head!


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## Half Baked (Sep 17, 2006)

I've never had a truffle unless it was when I was young and I wasn't impressed with food, but I have the oil now.  

I didn't have fois gras until I was in my late 20s.


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## Hades (Sep 17, 2006)

I'm usually of the more adventurous type of eater but truffles in icecream?!
There's plenty of excellent "classical" dishes to use them in though.  If you're using truffle oil, then dripping it over cooked pasta or ommelette is one of the better ways to enjoy it.  Maybe half baked can correct me, but I've been told truffle oil doesn't keep it's taste and aroma very well when cooked.
Truffle juice is also something you can quite easily (and "cheaply") find canned.  Truffle juice is also very good in an ommelette but you can use it in most recipe's too I guess.
Slivers of the actual mushroom go in all kinds of recipes.  If you're new to them and/or don't plan on using it on a daily basis, then canned truffle in juice is a good alternative.  I use the 12 gr (1/2 oz) cans that are fairly widely available here.
In the choice of recipe's I'd go for the fairly simple and neutral tasting dishes so the truffle is the star of the show.  Pasta, eggs and poultry (eg. chicken mousse or chicken parfait) realy make your 20-30$ investment for a can of truffles worth while.
If you find out you like the truffles, I have a great recipe for truffle stuffed turkey fillet.  A big hit on the christmas (or in the US probably also the Thanksgiving) dinner table.
The taste of truffle is difficult to describe to someone who never had them.  Earthy and garlicy is a good start, but if you want to know, you realy should try them.  Their taste and aroma is very complex and if you like them, extremely tasty.


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## AllenOK (Sep 17, 2006)

When truffles are sold by weight, remember that the bigger truffles for more money per pound (Kg) than smaller truffles.  Your best bet to buy real truffles is to get some small ones, as they are the cheapest.  Of course, truffles don't travel very well, nor does the flavor last long, so you'd have to travel to Italy and/or France to get them at their peak.


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## lulu (Sep 18, 2006)

I have to say, I cannot stand truffles!

I try and try, being a woman of expensive tastes usually, to like them, but even the smell of the kitchen if someone else has used truffle oil is enough to destroy my appetite.

I read an interesting thing that more women dislike truffles than men and it has something to do with hormones.....I can't remember now, but it was interesting, lol.

Um, as you ar looking for pasta solutions Gobo truffle oil might do it for you, or finely shave a bit of truffle on your pasta if you are prepared to spend a lot of money on it.


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## Ishbel (Sep 18, 2006)

SNAP!
I remember trying to force myself to eat truffle shavings when I was younger.... the smell puts me off - and yet I LOVE most types of mushrooms, even the really weird ones! There are only a few things I won't eat, truffles being one of them!

I once went to a dinner party in London hosted by people I didn't know too well - there were 12 to dinner. The first course came up, and was crab based (I don't eat much shellfish at all!) and had truffles in it too... I spread the food about my plate and hoped that the hostess wouldn't notice that NONE had been eaten! Then the main course - a sort of Russian fish pie... koulbiac sort of dish. Pastry triangle with fish, lobster, rice and boiled eggs inside, flavoured with? Yes, you've guessed..... truffle shavings! When I cut into the pastry and smelt the contents I felt ILL! Then the pudding came: It was a truly awful version of burnt cream....

When we left, we scoured all of South Kensington looking for a fish and chip shop!


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Sep 18, 2006)

I use truffle oil for many things as I love the flavor.  It is definitely a mushroom flavor, but very strong, and a bit sharp, almost smokey.  Also, it stays with you for a while after you eat it.  I also have a jar of truffle paste (a tiny bit of truffle mixed with ground button mushrooms and olive oil).  It, like the truffle oil, is a strong flavor.  It goes well as an accent to pasta, beef, and several Bechemel based sauces.

Like our own native morrell mushroom, I feel the flavor is too strong to be eaten by itself, but rather is used to enhance and accent other foods.

I have yet to taste a mushroom that I don't like.  I pick puff-balls, field mushrooms, and morrells.  And I purchase a wide variety of mushrooms from the grocer, when they are available (which is rare).

The truffle has a unique flavor that is unlike the flavor of any other mushroom, but is unmistakably a mushroom flavor.  All I can say is to purchace a bottle of truffle oil, and try it.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## Constance (Sep 18, 2006)

About the smell/fragrance...It is said that they used to use boy pigs to hunt them, because the truffle smells like the girl pig in heat. Maybe that's why more women dislike them than men?


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Sep 18, 2006)

Constance said:
			
		

> About the smell/fragrance...It is said that they used to use boy pigs to hunt them, because the truffle smells like the girl pig in heat. Maybe that's why more women dislike them than men?


 
Now hold on there.  Are you saying that we like the smell of girl pigs? 
I know you weren't saying that! 

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North (just stirring the pot a little )


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## bullseye (Sep 18, 2006)

GB said:
			
		

> One of the most expensive, if not the most expensive, food items out there.



Perhaps saffron is a bit pricier?


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Sep 19, 2006)

I'm thinking that edible gold and silver must be up there as well.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## jennyema (Sep 19, 2006)

Goodweed of the North said:
			
		

> The truffle has a unique flavor that is unlike the flavor of any other mushroom, but is unmistakably a mushroom flavor. All I can say is to purchace a bottle of truffle oil, and try it.
> 
> Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


 
I love truffles and agree that they have a very earthy unique flavor. But I think they don't taste anything like mushrooms.

Word to truffle oil as the best way to dip your oar into the world of truffles.

I love good caviar too!


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## jennyema (Sep 19, 2006)

bullseye said:
			
		

> Perhaps saffron is a bit pricier?


 
I think you are right that saffron is the most expensive foodstuff by weight.  But saffron is, IMO, much more accessible to the home cook than truffles or caviar or kobe beef, etc.


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## ChefJune (Sep 19, 2006)

Harborwitch said:
			
		

> Best way to try truffles without breaking the bank is to buy a small bottle of truffle oil. Drizzle it on top of mac and cheese (homemade!) after it bakes. Drizzle it on polenta, pasta (not on red sauce).
> 
> If you like that you can find truffle butter at several sources on line. It's not cheap - but a tiny slice on a perfectly cooked steak, or melted on risotto or polenta with lots of parm is pure heaven. There is also truffle salt. I'm dying to add that to my spice rack.
> 
> The flavor is earthy, a bit garlicy, makes my eyes roll back in my head!


Sharon's given you some good suggestions for affordable ways to try out the flavor!  Truffle Butter on mashed or baked potatoes is pretty wonderful, too..

I've been fortunate to have enjoyed both black and white truffles... I really love the black ones atop softly scrambled eggs.  The flavor combo is fabulous.  I think white truffles are at their best shaved over saffron risotto.  I enjoyed them that way a couple of years ago when I attended a dinner where Chef Roberto Donna of Galileo in DC prepared the largest white truffle of that year for an all-truffle dinner here in New York.  

I love to stuff slices of truffle under the skin of boneless chicken breasts and poach them in white wine/stock. That's a traditional Lyonnaise dish called "Chicken in Half-Mourning." -- (in French, "Demi-Deuil")


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## RDG (Sep 19, 2006)

Oh, my God...truffles....Icoud kill, for them...On eggs, on meats,on some fishes, on vegetables....I'd eat them on everything....  
Here, there are two essential types of Truffles: the white ones, in Alba (piemonte) zone, and the black ones in Norcia(Umbria) area. Prices...prices can change, because they depend by the season. Sometimes, here, they arrived till 3000-4000 €/kg for the big, white ones, and 20-30% less for the black ones. The little ones are really cheaper, much cheaper. Chips (splinters?) are....150...200/kg. Difficult to say.
Only a precisation: truffles icecreams are icecreams in which there is only the shape of truffle: a big ball dark brown (chocolate powder) with peanuts and white icecream inside. Nearly the same colours.... .
For lulu: my wife is the same than you: if I eat them, she open the windows, goes away, or send me out in the balcony . Particular smelling: or you love it, or you hate it.


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## jennyema (Sep 19, 2006)

ChefJune said:
			
		

> I love to stuff slices of truffle under the skin of boneless chicken breasts and poach them in white wine/stock. That's a traditional Lyonnaise dish called "Chicken in Half-Mourning." -- (in French, "Demi-Deuil")


 
Yum.  Had it but never made it.  It's delicious.

Balthazar's truffle salad dressing (for their excellent house salad) is a favorite of mine.  That, I make at home.


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## bullseye (Sep 19, 2006)

jennyema said:
			
		

> I think you are right that saffron is the most expensive foodstuff by weight.  But saffron is, IMO, much more accessible to the home cook than truffles or caviar or kobe beef, etc.



Point taken, especially when you consider what a small quantity of saffron is used in a dish that feeds many.


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## GB (Sep 19, 2006)

So how long before some money hungry entrepreneur decided to come up with the worlds most expensive dish, which combines truffles, saffron, caviar, etc.


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## goboenomo (Sep 19, 2006)

They'll be some huge cooking contest to see what special person in the world gets to cook the meal
and then another contest to eat it. :P


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## Andy M. (Sep 19, 2006)

I have that for breakfast three times a week on a gold leaf bagel.


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## GB (Sep 19, 2006)

Andy I think DC DC made a mistake in your last few direct deposits.


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## goboenomo (Sep 19, 2006)

hahaha

nice

the most expensive meal that I can remember I've had would be a Bison Burger at this fancy hotel in British Columbia. It was $45 I think.


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## college_cook (Sep 19, 2006)

I can't stand truffles... its such a strong flavor, very aromatic, but not in a good way.  Its  very offensive flavor to me.  The restaurant I work at does a Cured Salmon dish, with crispy potato skins, creme fraische and truffle oil... I think the truffle oil really overpowers the wonderful salmon flavor.


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## Seven S (Sep 19, 2006)

i think the taste of truffles is indescribable.  unlike several respondents, i dont think it has a "garlicky" flavor at all.  i have tried the truffle oils - the one made from white truffles i find is more potent than the one made from the black ones.  i have tried the black truffle paste and find that it is not very truffle-tasting, if you have to choose either paste or oil then i would go with the oil.  i do like truffles and truffle oils now very much so and understand the complexity it can add to a dish (not any dish) when used right, but it took me a while to appreciate it.  i will use a very strange adjective to describe the scent of truffle oil which i have never seen anyone use, but it does remind me of the way gasoline smells!


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## goboenomo (Sep 19, 2006)

college_cook said:
			
		

> I can't stand truffles... its such a strong flavor, very aromatic, but not in a good way. Its very offensive flavor to me. The restaurant I work at does a Cured Salmon dish, with crispy potato skins, creme fraische and truffle oil... I think the truffle oil really overpowers the wonderful salmon flavor.


 
You almost sound like one of those judges on Iron Chef.... ever considered learning japanese?


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## Ishbel (Sep 19, 2006)

goboenomo said:
			
		

> the most expensive meal that I can remember I've had would be a Bison Burger at this fancy hotel in British Columbia. It was $45 I think.


 
Wow.....  45 dollars?  You think that's an expensive meal?


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## goboenomo (Sep 19, 2006)

No
I think it's the most expensive meal I've had.


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## college_cook (Sep 19, 2006)

goboenomo said:
			
		

> You almost sound like one of those judges on Iron Chef.... ever considered learning japanese?




It's just common sense.... I mean for those that like the truffle flavor, thats great, but if all you can taste in a dish is the truffle oil, then I don't understand why you would bother pairing it with something like cured salmon... the point is to be able to blend the flavors, and maybe cured salmon and truffle oil work well together in theory, but as the dish stands, its like eating truffle flavored potatoes.


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## goboenomo (Sep 19, 2006)

Wouldn't know... I've never had truffles... I want to try them. That's why I started this thread.


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## mudbug (Sep 19, 2006)

Seven S said:
			
		

> but it does remind me of the way gasoline smells!


 
if this is true I feel OK about not having them yet.  But harborwitch's idea of the oil over polenta sounds pretty good.


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## Harborwitch (Sep 19, 2006)

Gasoline???????    

  Polenta is one of my favorite things - I adore it and the truffle oil on it is to die for.  I'm hoping I can find some more of the polenta with the truffle bits in it.  If food can ever be said to be better than sex this is it!


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## Seven S (Sep 19, 2006)

Constance said:
			
		

> About the smell/fragrance...It is said that they used to use boy pigs to hunt them, because the truffle smells like the girl pig in heat. Maybe that's why more women dislike them than men?



Constance, its the other way around:

"but while dogs must be trained to the scent of truffles, FEMALE pigs or sows need no training whatsoever. This is due to a compound within the truffle which has an uncanny resemblance to the sex pheromone of male pigs or boars to which the sow is keenly attracted"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffles


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## Michael in FtW (Sep 21, 2006)

I've only seen truffles once in my life - about 2 years ago .... they were about 1/2 the size of a golf ball ... the black ones were $45 and the white one was $125. From the smell - I can see where too much of a good thing could be too much. 

gobo - $45 for a Bison Burger? That must have been one fantastic burger, or one very expensive hotel!   I used to go to a little place on the outskirts of Denver every week and get one (1/3 pound of buffalo) for about $5 - although in the 12 years since I left there they have gone up to $6.50 (I just checked their menu at Clancy's Irish Pub). Although, I don't know what the price of a buffalo burger has to do with truffles ....


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## goboenomo (Oct 20, 2006)

The burger was great! And the hotel was very expensive.


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## Mark Webster (Nov 9, 2006)

Truffles are a great additon to a dish when you need a fresh woodsey flavor added to it. If you like mushrooms you will love topping a pasta with a few shavings of truffles. White truffles come from Italy and Black truffles are from France. If you don't want to spend a ton of money on fesh truffles buy a container of truffle oil. This oil has been infused with powdered truffles. It still can be sort of expensive though.
Chef Mark


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## goboenomo (Nov 9, 2006)

The more it sounds like mushrooms, the less interested in trying it I become.

I still havn't seen it around any of the stores I go to, not that I go to many. My mom does the groceries.


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## Harborwitch (Nov 9, 2006)

Last night we had truffled polenta.  I had a bit of polenta with truffle bits in it that I added to some plain  polenta and then finished it with about 2 tbs of truffle butter!  Everyone was in a state of euphoria from the truffles.  Two of our dinner guests had never had them before and just went nuts.  The flavor is so incredible - worth trying at least once!!  

Try to find the truffle butter.  You can melt a bit on a perfectly cooked steak, put it in polenta, scrambled eggs, so many things.  It's the perfect finishing touch!


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## dalentam (Nov 10, 2006)

OMG! I clicked on this thread because I had just tried a simple delicious recipe in the Kraft Food & Family magazine I had just gotten that was for "Easy Oreo Truffles" and now I find out that truffles arent what I thought they were   lol Why on earth did Kraft call their yummy chocolatey dessert "truffles" then? I always thought something that looked like these were called bon bons. Oh well, I learn something new everyday!


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## GB (Nov 10, 2006)

LOL dalentam both things are truffles. One is a dessert and the other is a fungus. They share the same name, but are obviously very different items


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## Harborwitch (Nov 10, 2006)

GB is right - and both are foods of the Gods!!!


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## RDG (Nov 11, 2006)

*Gobo*,truffles are similar to mushrooms in the same way that a Ferrari is similar to a FIAT . They are absolutely different. And not only in price.
Truffle smelling is unique: or you love it, or you hate it. It's impossible to be indifferent.
For those that are using a truffle oil, be carefull: generally, truffle smelling in oils is chemical. Very similar, but chemical (I too use it).
Generally too, is pure truffle adding in butters or pastes.
*Dalentam*, "truffles" desserts are called so because looking is similar: a dark ball, with a nut color inside.


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