AN 87G SPORE SCORE
Truffles auctioned
A set of three white truffles weighing a total of 1.9 pounds sold at an Italian auction on Sunday for more than $87,000.
The highly prized fungi — sniffed out of the Italian countryside by a specially trained dog named Lady just two days ago — were bought by Hong Kong billionaire Eugene Fung as part of a charity benefit in the northwestern town of Alba.
“We’re very happy to get such a big figure in this poor season,” said Marco Scuderi, organizer of the 18th annual World Alba White Truffle Auction at Grinzane Cavour castle.
Italy is in the midst of its worst truffle season on record after an unseasonally dry summer and fall led to an extreme shortage of the exotic mushroom and sent prices skyrocketing.
“It was a very strange season without rain,” said the president of Alba’s annual White Truffle Fair, Liliana Allena. “This is not normal to have such a low quantity of white truffle.”
The scarcity of truffles has not hurt their quality but has driven prices to about $3,000 to $4,000 per pound for average versions of the delicacy.
The price of the 1.9-pound lot was apparently driven higher because the proceeds were going to charitable causes, said Isabelle Gianicolo of the National Truffle Study Centre.
The star fungus of Sunday’s auction was found by truffle hunter Mario Aarile.
He said Lady found the rare fungus buried 16 inches underground near a cluster of oak trees.
It was among the biggest discovered in the hills of Alba in Italy’s northern region of Piedmont this year.
Before bidding began, an Italian model paraded the giant truffles to a wide-eyed audience, carrying the cluster on a red velvet pillow.
Bidding, which was linked by satellite to Hong Kong and Dubai, started at 10,000 euro ($11,700) and jumped to 50,000 euro ($58,300). Eight minutes later, the hammer came down at 75,000 euro ($87,400).
Unlike the common and lower-cost black truffle, which is used in cooking to flavor dishes, the white truffle should be eaten raw, shaved over a simple bowl of pasta or eggs.
Despite elevated prices, the global appetite for white truffle is unrelenting.
“The white truffle is something magic. Everyone is in love with it,” Allena said.