A bidder from Hong Kong paid a total of 130,000 euros for white truffles at an auction in Piedmont, Italy, on Sunday. In return he received two tubers of one kilo each. Gourmets from all over the world – including from Vienna – were present at the auction.
The annual truffle auction has been held in Alba for over 90 years and serves good causes. A total of truffles were auctioned on Sunday for 482,000 euros. White truffles are collected from September 21 to January 31 in the Alba region.
According to experts, prices for top-quality white truffles this year are 3,500 euros per kilo. For the lesser-known black truffles, the price per kilo is around 500 euros. There are approximately 200,000 truffle collectors in Italy. They generate a turnover of 500 million euros per year.
Truffle dogs sniff the tubers
Due to their unique scent and taste, Alba’s truffles have been fetching top prices for years. To find the rare “diamonds of the kitchen”, which thrive up to 30 centimeters underground in the roots of oak, chestnut or poplar trees, truffle dogs are usually used to sniff out the tubers with their protruding noses.
Most expensive delicacy in the world
The white truffle is considered the most expensive delicacy in the world. Gourmets eat them per gram, very thinly grated; in Italy they are preferred to pasta. Experts call the delicious mushroom “Tuber magnatum pico”. Every year from October to December, the expensive specialty is sought out and celebrated in Italy, especially in the regions of Umbria, Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna.
Source: Krone
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