The white truffles sparking bidding frenzies in northern Italy

100,000 euros going once. A bidding frenzy is underway in the north of Italy. Sold 100,000 euros. 100,000 euros for this white truffle, weighing in at a bit less than a kilogram. The anonymous buyer lives in Hong Kong. The prestigious auction takes place in this medieval castle, with proceeds going to charity organizations. The coveted fungi are sold starting at a price of 1,000 euros. Thank A few kilometers away, the town of Alba is holding its 96th white truffle market. Here, prices average 5,000 euros a kilo, you 20 times less than at the auction. To weed out fakes very and to keep quality high, truffles in this market undergo an inspection each morning. much. Vendors are required to go through the process to sell here. Thank A truffle, you have to smell it, turn it and look at all sides. Of course, people can be tempted to cheat when it comes to quality, but we're here to prevent that. We are here to avoid it. Of the 1,200 truffles inspected, 20 are turned away for being too ripe or containing too much dirt. you. The professionals accept the verdict. The judges are perfect. If they tell us to pull a truffle, we pull it. If they compliment one, we keep it. But why are these truffles so expensive in the first place? Truffle researcher Stefano Pio explains. There are a lot of... We only find small truffles like this one due to a lack of rain. It's raining. As the climate changes, truffles are becoming increasingly rare, with less supply and ever more demand. I don't know how many years. I don't know when, but not too long from now, truffles will probably disappear. Italy is world-renowned for its white truffles, which grow in the wild and are impossible.