This 2-Pound Truffle Was Bought for Nearly $118,000
A Michelin-Starred chef got it.
White truffles, also known in some circles as "white gold," is one of the most expensive ingredients on earth. White truffles can not be farmed; they can only be foraged. In many instances, these mushrooms that grow near the roots of trees can only be detected by well-trained dogs, pigs, and hunters that can sniff the truffle out. These are just some of the reasons why a two-pound truffle sold for nearly $118,000 earlier this month.
Michelin-starred chef Umberto Bombana won the mammoth truffle at an auction during the International Alba White Truffle Fair in northern Italy's Piedmont region. Bombana, of the Italian restaurant Otto e Mezzo in Hong Kong, cast the winning bid of $117,795.64 at the auction. The truffle, unsurprisingly, was quite popular with biddings coming in from Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, and Moscow, according to In-Cyprus.
The prized truffle is a white tuber truffle, which is typically found anywhere from two to eight inches below the ground. According to the New York Post, earlier this year, the price for white truffles hit an all-time high, selling for more than $4,500 per pound. Due to a dry, hot summer in Italy and also global supply chain issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the price spike was higher than truffle lovers have ever experienced. Merge these factors with the energy of an auction, and you've got one very expensive truffle. Luckily, all proceeds went to charity.