Tuber magnatum,[1] the white truffle (Italian: tartufo bianco d'Alba), is a species of truffle in the order Pezizales and family Tuberaceae. It is found in southern Europe and north Africa (south Tunisia, Tataouin).
Description
Fruiting in autumn, they can reach 12 centimetres (4+1⁄2 inches) diameter and 500 grams (18 ounces), though are usually much smaller. The flesh is pale cream or brown with white marbling.[2]
Distribution and habitat
It is found mainly in the Langhe and Montferrat areas[3] of the Piedmont region in northern Italy and, most famously, in the countryside around the cities of Alba and Asti.[4]Acqualagna, in the northern part of the Marche near Urbino is another center for the production and commercialization of white truffles, and its annual festival is one of the most important in Italy.[5]
In recent years, the search for truffles became very popular in Bosnia and Herzegovina.[6] Especially abundant occurrence is recorded in the regions of Vlašić, Lisina and Kozara,[7] and lately, after discovery of its presence, in the western part of the Herzegovina region, around the village of Služanj and the town of Čitluk.[8]
Plans for cultivation were taking shape[when?] around Bosnia, with foreign companies, considering the country's adequate climate, investing in local agriculture.[11]
Commercialisation
Italian white truffles are very highly esteemed and are the most valuable on the market. The white truffle market in Alba is busiest in the months of October and November when the Fiera del Tartufo (truffle fair) takes place.[12] In 2001, Tuber magnatum truffles sold for between $2,200–$4,800 per kilogram ($1,000–$2,200 per pound);[13] as of December 2009, they were being sold at $14,203.50/kg.[citation needed]
In November 1999, what was then the largest truffle in the world was found near Buje, Croatia.[14] The truffle weighed 1.31 kg (2 lb 14 oz) and was entered into the Guinness Book of Records.[15]
The record price paid for a single white truffle was set in December 2007, when Macau casino owner Stanley Ho paid $330,000 (£165,000) for a specimen weighing 1.5 kg (3 lb 5 oz). One of the largest truffles found in decades, it was unearthed near Pisa, Italy, and sold at an auction held simultaneously in Macau, Hong Kong, and Florence.[16] This record was then matched on November 27, 2010, when Ho again paid $330,000 for a pair of white truffles, including one weighing nearly a kilogram.
In December 2014, a white truffle weighing 1.89 kg (4 lb 2+1⁄2 oz) was unearthed in the Umbrian region of Italy. It was auctioned by Sabatino Truffles at Sotheby's in New York.[17][18] While some had expected it to sell for $1 million,[18] it was sold for $61,000 to a Taiwanese buyer.[19] In 2021, a white truffle from Piedmont weighing 830 g was sold for €103,000 at auction.[20]
^Farley, David (August 16, 2018). "36 Hours in Istria". The New York Times. Retrieved August 18, 2018. But all that changed on Nov. 2, 1999, when a local Croatian truffle hunter, Giancarlo Zigante, and his dog, Diana, unearthed a nearly three-pound white truffle, at the time the biggest one ever found.
