The Big One! A 2.2 lb white truffle found in the Piedmont region of Italy, the largest found. It is on it's way to LA to be auctioned off.

Each fall something special occurs in the wooded lands of one small area of Piemonte, Northern Italy. The foggy mornings and warm days create great conditions for Nebiollo wine grapes that make the great Barolos and Barbarescos… but that’s not all! The same calcareous clay soils, rich in salts and silica, and the moist mountain weather inspire the growth of a rare tubor that grows amongst the roots of oak, poplar, lime, hazelnut and willow trees. It is the "Tubor Magnatum Pico," or as they say in Italy, Tartufo Bianco d’Alba… the Treasured White Truffle.

These are not to be confused with the French Black Truffles, which are not nearly as fragrant; nor are they as rare.

Although technically a fungus, like a mushroom, the aroma and flavor can’t be compared to it’s above ground cousins. In fact, the most common description of those in the throws of ecstatic indulgence is… "INDESCRIBABLE."

Maurizo Grazioso, one of the most prolific ‘Truffle Hunter' with the three jewels that were on the way to the US to be auctioned in NY and LA	Finding the right truffle is a romantic experience

But if pressed, one could say that the fragrance is strong – so strong in fact that it is illegal to carry them on public transportation in Italy – and once experienced, can’t be forgotten. It is earthy, woody, a bit like very pungent garlic, and positively addicting! It cannot be cultivated, and like a fine big Barolo, is really only found in Piemonte. In fact, the earthy forest floor aroma of a great Barolo is in perfect harmony with the Tartufo Bianco d’Alba. Many swear that it is an aphrodisiac, but this evidence is purely anecdotal.

They grow anew each year and are hunted by ground-sniffing dogs that are certainly among the most highly prized house-pets anywhere. Truffles must be used within a short period – once taken they begin to lose their fragrance and flavor at once. But none-the-less, every Fall, gourmets, in the Langhe, Milan, Paris, New York, and now Los Angeles, and the Wine Country of Napa and Sonoma, gather at fine restaurants to delicately consume the treasured truffle shavings atop a variety of Piemontese dishes.

One such gathering occurred in three cities simultaneously: Alba, Italy, New York and Los Angeles on November 10th. It was the Fourth Asta Mondiale del Tartufo Charity Auction and Luncheon. The auction was simulcast and bidders vied for a variety of the finest tartufi bianchi found this year. In Tony May’s San Domenico New York restaurant, Grinzane Cavour Castle near Alba and Piero Selvagio’s Valentino restaurant in Los Angeles, prominent restaurateurs gathered to bid on rare tubors.

The grand finale was the offering of a monster 2.2 pound beauty found under a lime tree by the dog "Black." Bidding got feverish when Robin Leach, the auctioneer in New York, proclaimed the Big Apple to be the "greatest city in the world." Rising to meet the
challenge was Joe Pytka in Los Angeles, a top TV commercial director and a new restaurateur with just opened Bastide. "I couldn’t let Tony May win that truffle after a remark like that" Pytka says.

Truffle Man Joe Pytka, owner of Bastide Restaurant, with daughter Arielle, and supplier Daniele Bera, of Alba, Italy	Barbara Lazaroff of Spago looks on with anticipation.

His 12-year-old daughter Arielle bid the price all the way from an opening bid of $8,500 to the highest price paid ever – $35,000!

After the auction a sumptuous Piemontese five course meal was served by Chef’s Alain Giraud (Bastide), Lee Hefter (Spago) and Angelo Auriana (Valentino) including
:
Brodo Del Re

Crostini Alla Fonduta Di Formaggio Raschera
Con Tartufi Bianchi

Agnolotti Del Plin Classici Con Tartufi Bianchi E…
Tartufi Bianchi

Guancia Di Vitello Brasata Al Barolo, Risotto Vialone Nano Al Reggiano "1999" Ed Tartufi Bianchi

Piemontese Bonet Con Pere Al Caramello
I Veri Cannoli Di Ricotta

And a great selection of Barolo and Barbaresco wines.

The beauty of the great white truffle is that it makes magnificent simple foods, as well as rich ones. Shaved on eggs it is a delight, or a great risotto rich in reggiano; heavy meats benefit from it, and fonduta doesn’t seem right without it once you taste it topped with shavings of tartufo. But my favorite is the Agnolotti del Plin, a unique specialty from the Langhe in Piedmont.

AGNOLOTTI DEL PLIN is a typical Piemontese dish that is rarely found outside of the area, even nearby in Northern Italy. (Click Here for Recipe)