Does size really matter?

I have to ask myself what is real in life, sometimes articles in the press make me want to pinch myself, and wonder if they can actually be true or are all a huge wind up.  Here is a recent example:

On 6th. December the New York Daily News reported a white Italian truffle dug up in Umbria weighing 4.16 US pounds or 1.89kg selling at auction at Sotheby’s  New York for $61,250.00.

Ok it is very sexy, very very sexy.. BUT

Dear readers my last post pre-empted the sale.

Ok we did not know there was competition afoot, and so on my first truffle hunting expedition we only had 360 grammes (13 US ounces) of white truffles, on the plate in front of me, and that was four individual truffles, at least one of which was the size of a small fist, but had we know the show was on we could have provided more.

Ok their photograph is professional, mine was with an iPhone

The stonking thing is the price difference…  As Victor Meldrew famously retorted “I don’t b….y believe it!”  It seems to me that many people have more money than sense.   As reported in my previous blog post the 360g of truffles on my plate was valued at about 700 euro.

Now maths may not be my strongest point but 360g  x 5.25 = 1.89kg which is 4.16 US pounds

Thus: 700€ x 5.25 =3,675€ converted to US dollars = approx $4,515.00  which is what? weight for weight about 8% of the Sotheby’s price and that does not include their buyers’ premium……dum dum dum!!!

To enjoy white truffle ‘Tuber Magnum Pico’ at a sensible price you only need contact me at Bellaugello Gay Guest House.

Fly flat from the US and come and stay at Bellaugello, rent the entire house to yourselves for a week, and you can feast on fresh white truffle every day and still have change in your pocket. and you have a great convivial host, excellent cook and the opportunity to see for yourself exactly where these truffles are found.

In this case SIZE DOES NOT  MATTER!!!  After all, white truffle is not like the apple in the Sotheby’s picture you are hardly going tibiae into it, the tuber is just going to be sliced wafer thin and sprinkled over a decent homemade pasta.

BTW my tartufaio told me that the earth must not be cleaned off white truffles until immediately prior to consumption, because they begin to go mouldy, and he was careful not to touch it with a naked hand for the same reason….  Anybody tell Sotheby’s that?