Heavy price to pay for a mushroom
Italy's tartufo mushrooms, also known as white truffles, are a precious and highly sought-after food. And the biggest one found in 50 years could net around $200,000 at an auction. Megan Williams has more.
A white truffle weighing in around 3.3 pounds to be sold in an international auction. (Nico Casamassima/AFP/Getty Images)
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Scott Jagow: In Italy, the most sought-after food is a fungus. tartufo mushrooms, or white truffles, are prized for their musky flavor. I'm sure they are. A farmer in Northern Italy just found the biggest truffle in the past 50 years. It'll be sold in an international auction for a lot of money. More from Megan Williams.
Megan Williams: They call it a "white diamond." It's tough, though, to imagine anything that looks less diamond-like than a tartufo mushroom, or truffle, a gnarly ball of fungus that grows underground in Tuscany.
But don't let looks get in the way. This year's prized white truffle, weighing in at more than 3 pounds, could net close to $200,000. They're so precious, in fact, that they're sliced with razors onto pasta and rice dishes, giving them that sought-after "je ne sais quoi" for foodies with a lot of money to spare.
Last years's truffle went to a Hong Kong businessman for $160,000. Proceeds from the auction go to charity.
In Rome, I'm Megan Williams for Marketplace.
