이번주 수요 시사영어 강의 기사 : 총맞을 각오하고 찾아다니는 세계3대 진미 송로버섯

[조국현]

이번 주에는 12년 내전으로 국민 중 90%가 극빈층으로 전락한 시리아에서

사람들이 돈을 벌기 위해 목숨을 걸고 송로버섯 채취에 나서고 있다는 내용으로

영어훈련하겠습니다.

송로버섯은 프아그라, 캐비어와 함께

세계3대 진미에 꼽히는 식재료인데요,

시리아의 사막 지형에 자연산으로 많이 존재한다고 합니다.

그런데, 그 지역이 내전으로 매우 위험하고,

실제로 올해 4월까지 최소 84명의 송로버섯 채취자들이 목숨을 잃었다고 합니다.

전세계 미식가들의 미각을 홀리는 송로버섯에 관해 알아보고

그에 관한 비극적인 얘기를

들어하시죠.

Truffle Hunters in Syria Have Become the Hunted

They are called “daughter of thunder,” or bint al-ra’ad — M​iddle Eastern black and white truffles that are found in deserts across the region and thought to be the product of stormy weather and lightning strikes.

Larger and less pungent than their European cousins, they are an equally prized delicacy. Once the winter storms have passed, Syrian families in the east of the country have traditionally packed up their cars to go camping and forage for them in the desert.

But the cherished pastime of truffle hunting has become a perilous gamble to earn a bit of desperately needed income during an economic crisis after a long war. At least 84 foragers have been killed so far this year hunting truffles in the country’s central and eastern desert, according to two groups that monitor Syria’s war. Some were killed by land mines, others shot by gunmen or kidnapped and killed later.

Now, instead of venturing out into the desert with their families, truffle hunters are taking rifles and first aid kits. Still, they go on the expeditions, driven by severe poverty and unemployment, a collapsing currency and inflation. More than half of the population struggles to get enough food, and amid a nationwide fuel shortage, some Syrians have resorted to burning trash and plastic to stay warm or cook.

“People have started to fear poverty more than death,” said Baha Sulieman, 28, who lives in Deir al Zour Province in eastern Syria and went out twice to collect truffles about a month ago.

Residents and analysts say it is unclear who is targeting the truffle hunters. In the large desert region where many have been killed, battles between warring parties are continuing after more than 12 years of a war that has not ended.

The areas are mostly under the control of the government of Syrian president, Bashar al-Assad, and allied armed groups, including Iran-backed militias. Islamic State sleeper cells are also active there, and Syrian state media have blamed the terrorist group for all of the killings for which The Islamic State has not claimed responsibility.

Middle Eastern truffles have a more subtle taste than their European cousins and are eaten much like meat or mushrooms, roasted over campfires or cooked in stews or with rice. Although the local truffles do not command the same prices as European ones, they can bring in some much-needed cash.

A bumper crop and high price of truffles this year have made it especially tempting for the hunters. At one market in Damascus, Syria’s capital, black truffles were selling for $35 a kilogram — the equivalent of a month’s salary for many in Syria, where about 90% of the population lives below the poverty line, according to the United Nations.

A grocery store in an upper-middle-class neighborhood was charging about $17 for a kilogram of black truffles while white truffles go for about $6, according to the shop owner, Samer Baalbecki.

Taking advantage of the dangerous situation and the desperation of those willing to risk it, pro-government forces have coerced truffle hunters to bring them along for protection. The forces also offer information about where mines have been laid and demand a large cut of the profits. Those who refuse the forces face the risk of stepping on mines or being kidnapped or attacked by gunmen, some truffle hunters said.

War profiteering, shakedowns and looting have long been common among armed groups in Syria’s conflict, especially those associated with al-Assad’s regime.

Some truffle hunters believe that some of the attacks are being carried out by the very same forces offering protection — in order to dissuade people from going alone and leaving them out of a profitable harvest.

About a month ago, Sulieman, the truffle hunter in eastern Syria, said he joined a caravan of hunters whose leader had arranged protection from the National Defense Forces militia. The soldiers were armed with automatic rifles and a few machine guns.

But Sulieman was not reassured. “I saw that they themselves are afraid, so how are they going to protect us?” he said. “There was constant fear.”

At the end of the day, they had to sell their entire hauls to a truffle trader who paid half the market price. The rest of the profits went to the militiamen, he said.

Sulieman collected about 10 kilograms, or 22 pounds, the first day, and 12 kilograms the next. The money was good. But two days later, some foragers were kidnapped and killed in the same area, and he decided the payoff was no longer worth the risk.

Still, many others have kept going out, Sulieman said, even some who have been previously attacked. “It’s an enticing sum,” he said, adding that he had heard stories of people making up to nearly $400 a day. “That is what has led people to risk their lives.”

(NYT)