Black truffles, valued at £1,000/kg have just been cultivated in Macedonia, a country where they do not occur naturally, with the help of British technology.

In an impressive example of the export of British technology, four truffles were harvested by Professor Mitko Karadelev from trees inoculated with the black truffle fungus (Tuber melanosporum) and planted in Macedonia 7 years ago.

Professor Mitko Karadelev of the Institute of Biology (Macedonia) said: “we were very excited, it was the first time we have checked these trees. It is the first cultivated truffle in the country and could be the start of an industry. We are preparing important data for publication in an academic journal”

Dr Paul Thomas of Mycorrhizal Systems Ltd said: “this is a great example of British technology being exported overseas. We’re absolutely thrilled to have produced black truffles in a country where this species does not occur naturally. Having produced the UK's first cultivated truffle earlier in the year, its been a superb year for our technology”