Italy's white truffle record auction: Alba truffle sold for 100,000 euros

posted: Monday 09 November 2009 by Alison in: Piedmont Italian Cuisine and traditional recipes Festivals

white truffle

The white truffle auction held in Langa, Piedmont on the weeked, saw a 750 gram white truffle sell for a record of 100,000 euros. It was the last of 11 truffle lots on auction, with the event seeing more than 250,000 euros of truffles sold.

The market price for truffles is equally high at the moment, with 100 grams costing 250 euros, meaning a simple grating of truffle at the restaurant could cost you 20 euros, excluding the rest of the dish. Prices are still down on previous weeks, at 350 euros, and last year’s average of 500 euros.

It’s early truffle season yet, with October truffles of a lower quality and shorter preservation time than their November and December truffle counterparts. Most of Italy’s food festivals with the truffle as focus occur in early November, and Alba’s famous white truffle festival concluded yesterday with this auction. The truffle was purchased by a Hong Kong restaurant owner.

Source | Il Sole 24 Ore

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