Just this year a man by the name of Mr. Bae paid 1 Million Hong Kong Dollars (roughly $129,000 USD) for a white Truffle. Weighing a total of 760 grams, this truffle sold for just over $43,000 USD per pound!
The only individual to ever top this purchase, when it comes to white truffles, is Stanley Ho, who back in 2007 paid $330,000 USD for a white truffle.
No matter how you slice it, truffles are expensive. But this trend is changing.
Thanks to scientific research, biologists have perfected the inoculation process required to cultivate truffles – A process that has been in the experimental phase for hundreds of years. So what does this mean for the Truffle Market? Well for one, truffles will become more prevalent in the open market, which will drive down the market prices, assuming the demand for this fungi remains at the level it currently is.
In addition to that, Truffles can now be grown in any temperate climate. Unlike the past, when truffles could only be found in specific parts of the globe: France, Italy, Algeria, and certain regions of the United States, other countries are making a splash in the truffle market. Australia and New Zealand, for instance, are two countries that are doing quite well in the race to serve this new market.
So, if you are curious to try a Truffle, it may be advisable to wait until the market price drops before you go out and spend a healthy year’s salary on this culinary ingredient.
Be sure to take a look at our truffle selection of both white truffles and black truffles.