Wild luxury and rural identity: the discursive construction of black truffle in rural gastronomic branding

The black truffle (Tuber melanosporum) has a prominent position in contemporary terroir-based gastronomy, particularly in rural and mountain regions where wild products are symbols of distinction and local identity. This study examines how black truffle is discursively constructed within the context of a gastronomic campaign in the Catalan countryside. Drawing on a qualitative content analysis of menus from all nine participating restaurants (36 truffle-based dishes), the research investigates how truffle is framed in menu discourse, how it is linked to territorial identity, and how these representations contribute to rural gastronomic branding. The results show that black truffle functions as culinary protagonist, luxury enhancer, forest emblem, creative boundary-expander in sweet preparations, and as a strategic partner to other emblematic regional products. This paper highlights the role of menus as devices of value construction, and demonstrates how a seasonal forest product is transformed into a strategic resource for rural differentiation and destination positioning.