כַּמָּהַת הַנֶּגֶב
kamat-haneggev
Everyday HebrewMeaningA type of mushroom called a desert truffle that grows under the sand in the Negev desert.
HistoryThe word for truffle, "kmeha" (כְּמֵהָה), is very old and appears in the Talmud. It comes from a root that means "to want something very much", maybe because truffles are special and hard to find. "Negev" is the name of the desert in southern Israel, a word that comes from the Bible.
Example
אחרי הגשם, יצאנו לחפש כמהת הנגב במדבר.
After the rain, we went to look for Negev truffles in the desert.
