A symbol of fine cuisine, truffles are one-of-a-kind, and the most expensive truffles can really garner an incredible sum of money.
Used widely in multiple cuisines, truffles add a unique touch to any dish, whether savoury or sweet, from truffle pizza to truffle brioche. This gift from nature usually sees a souring market price, for it is extremely seasonal and difficult to grow. It takes up to six years for one truffle to be ready for harvest under the oak trees, and the cultivation process is also labour intensive. Since the starting price for truffles is already high up there, the most expensive truffles are deemed to be even more special. Here’s a closer look at them.
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11 of the World’s Most Expensive Truffles Ever
4.16-Pound Italian White Truffle
This record-setting 4.16-pound white truffle got a massive bid at auction http://t.co/yf16FjRpMi pic.twitter.com/jpyeMw0sst
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 8, 2014
Truffle company Sabatino Truffles once discovered the largest block of truffle in the world, weighing in at 4.16 pound or almost 2 kilograms. Sabatino Truffles sold the white truffle at a Sotheby’s auction to a Taiwanese food enthusiast in 2014. The proceeds went to the Children’s Glaucoma Foundation and Citymeals-on-Wheels.
Price: $61,250
White Truffle Trio
This trio of white truffles was auctioned at the 2017 World Truffle Auction in Italy when the unfruitful growing season increased the prices of these tiny wonders. After eight minutes of price bidding, the white trio ended up going to Eugene Fung, a Hong Kong business tycoon.
Price: $87,000
4.16-Pound White Truffle
Nello Balan, a restaurant owner in New York City, sold one of the largest truffles in the world weighing at 4.16 pounds or almost 2 kilograms to Vladimir Potanin in 2013. As a former Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and a complete billionaire, Potanin really took the expensive route to own this white truffles from the Alba region of Italy which only grew for a brief period from September to October.
Price: $95,000
White Truffle
The largest sale of the 16th International White Truffle Auction in 2015 was the Italian white truffles bought by Mr. Sam Chan. Taking place in Hong Kong, the event was one of the most prominent culinary events of the year, where proceeds were donated to Mother’s Choice charity to help neglected children and teens with crisis pregnancies.
Price: $108,000
The Twin Truffles
This delicious-looking pair of white truffles was sold at the 2016 Alba White Truffle Auction, where famous businessmen with heavy pockets bid on the precious items. The twin truffles were ultimately won by chef Dong Zhenxiang, owner of the DaDong Roast Duck restaurant in Beijing.
Price: $118,000
2-Pound Italian White Truffle
This Italian white truffle was sold at the international Alba White Truffle Auction in Italy, 2021. The fungi were sold to the Michelin-starred chef Umberto Bombana of 8 1/2 Otto e Mezzo in Hong Kong. This famous Italian restaurant is known to showcase the true flavours of Italian cuisine and, led by chef Bombana, has retained its three Michelin stars for years.
Price: $118,000
1-Kilogram Truffle
As a passionate and knowledgable player in the truffle field, chef Umberto Bombana was appointed the Worldwide Ambassador of the white truffle by the Piedmontese Regional Enoteca Cavour, and hosted the charity auction in 2019. The one-kilogram monster truffle went to one Hong Kong bidder at the highest price for any truffles in the past 12 years. The proceeds went to the Mother’s Choice charity once again.
Price: $132,275
White Truffle of Alba
Back in 2006, the billionaire couple Gordon Wu and his wife once bid for the most expensive truffles ever. Although the record was temporary, the Hong Kong couple really set the scene for more Hong Kong bidders to bid for the white truffles in the years to come.
Price: $160,406
2.2-Pound White Italian Truffle
One of the most expensive truffles went to none other than the departed ‘King of Gambling,’ Stanley Ho. The Hong Kong casino tycoon bid the fat Italian truffle without hesitating at the 2008 international auction.
Price: $200,000
3.3-Pound White Truffle
The most expensive truffle to date was a very large 3.3-pound specimen that was dug up in Tuscany. A billionaire Macau casino owner named Stanley Ho bought it for $330,000. #truffle #americanauction #londonauction #funauction #auctionlife #auctioner #auction #proauction pic.twitter.com/8sQuMHGVLB
— Pro Auction (@Knights_Auction) October 31, 2022
This white truffle was one of the largest to be found in decades and it was auctioned off in 2007 in Macau. The same man with an undying passion for this fragrant staple, Stanley Ho once again bid an eye-watering price for the Tuscan produce through a phone call, making it the most expensive truffle in the world so far.
Price: $330,000
2.86-Pound White Truffle
Yet another expensive truffle went to — you guess it — Stanley Ho The price for this beautiful 2.86-pound white truffle which sold at a 2009 international auction was on par with the one Ho bought in 2007. Although this truffle is smaller in size, its origin from Tuscany’s underground hyped up the bidders’ expectations, given that the truffle trade in Tuscany had been very fruitful even until now.
Price: $330,000
