Truffle price
Last Update November 15, 2024
The size of the truffle
As you may have noticed in the introduction table, the price varies greatly depending on the size. The different weights indicate the size of the whole truffle as harvested. The bigger the truffle, the more expensive it is, as they are rarer and more valuable. A bigger truffle will allow you to have more gleba (the inner tasty part) and less peridio (the outer shell).
What size do you need? If you want to prepare a dish with white truffles for 2 people, you can be satisfied with a small piece of truffle, about 10/15g. If you have a restaurant and have to make numerous courses, it is more likely that you will have to buy several medium or large truffles.
There is no general rule, you must use common sense and possibly require the presence of an experienced truffle connoisseur when you buy a Truffle. Unfortunately, there are always swindlers! Beware of those who sell "big pieces that the dog has bitten off during the harvest" at a low price.
How much truffle should you buy?
I don't want your hair to stand on end, but again, there is no general rule. But I can tell you that it depends mostly on the quality and type of truffle. The white truffle for example, has such an intense taste and smell that only a few grams are needed to season a dish. So, depending on the quality, you can count on about 5/10 grams per person. The black truffle on the other hand, requires higher quantities to develop all the flavour and the lower cost allows you to be a little more generous when scraping. In this case I suggest that you consider a minimum of 10/15 g per person.
I don't want a caterer; the exact quantity of truffles to buy depends on many factors, among which the state of conservation of the truffle is very important.
Truffle prices
It is in the nature of truffles that prices fluctuate so much, but it is also what makes the search and purchase of the precious underground mushroom such an attractive experience. Below in the example you can see the national average of truffle prices for the two most sought-after species:
Fine white truffle (Tuber Magnatum Pico) - from 2.100 €/kg to 3.500 €/kg
Finest black truffle (Tuber Melanosporum Vitt) - from 350 €/kg to 600 €/kg
As you may have noticed, I have indicated the prices per kg. This is to help only the most inexperienced amateurs, because it is more intuitive to determine the cost of a food by evaluating it in euros per kilo, to understand the true value of the truffle. But be very careful when buying: truffle prices are almost always expressed in euros per hectogram, that is, in €/hg.
Moreover, the average truffle prices can vary greatly, also in relation to various factors such as availability and size. It goes without saying that a large size, i.e. more than 50 g, can increase costs by several hundred euros.
Alba White truffle prices
Another very difficult year for all truffles!
As was the case for 2021, also the year 2022 proved to be a very difficult year for the truffle world so far: drought and extremely high temperatures (October 2022 was the hottest on record for more than 200 years) made the search for the precious tubers very difficult.
The season for the black Scorzone truffle (Tuber aestivum vitt) was over prematurely. In early August, the product was available only in some areas of central Italy, in all other Italian areas of origin it had already disappeared.
The white Alba truffle season seemed to have benefited from late summer rains and an early autumn, leading older truffle hunters to predict that white truffles would appear in large numbers from late October onwards and then continue into November and December.
So far, even this rosy prediction has been proved wrong, and the hottest and driest October ever has done the rest: prices skyrocketed from € 2,500 for the smallest White Truffle to € 7,000 for the largest and most sought-after pieces.
Prices for black truffles
For the black autumn truffle (Tuber Uncinatum), it is even worse. Italian products are non-existent, and most of these truffles available on the market actually come from Eastern Europe.
We anxiously await the traditional "Bridge of the Dead" at the end of October until All Souls' Day, which has always marked the most successful period for searching and harvesting, hoping that "la luna", the moon, will also play its part.
Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope for a better second half of the season than the first one!
How to calculate the price of truffles
Truffle prices fluctuate greatly throughout the year. In addition, costs can vary considerably depending on the area of collection and the state of conservation. Did you know that harvesting unripe truffles is also illegal? If you want to buy fresh truffles, you should be accompanied by an expert, especially in the famous Trifolau squares. Knowing how to evaluate a good specimen is a must in order to avoid unpleasant surprises.
The criteria that determine truffle prices are essentially these 5:
- the quantity collected
- demand
- the conservation status
- the size
- the collection period
Where to buy truffles
The fascination of the precious underground mushroom is also linked to the sales places of the folk tradition. In many Italian squares, Trifolau or Cavatori gather during harvest time to sell the fresh harvest. In other words, those somewhat mystical figures who, especially at night, scour the woods with their faithful truffle dogs.
Despite the beauty of these places, if you are not an expert and you do not have a companion who is able to recognize a valuable specimen from an inferior one, I advise you not to buy the product within these events, because without experience you risk spending a lot of money on an inferior truffle.
Analyze the prices of truffles closely by consulting our table, evaluating an online bag or consulting a trusted company (or a certified portal). You can buy the product directly on the internet, without taking unnecessary risks. Nothing prevents you from taking part in a traditional sale on the Trifolau squares, but make sure you always have an expert at your side who can advise you when needed.
The right time to buy truffles
Truffle prices vary considerably depending on the season, to make a wise purchase it is much better to wait for the right time, when availability is much greater. What is the right time to buy truffles?
Alba white truffle
from 1 October to 31 December. In some areas harvesting begins in the last week of September.
Fine black truffle
from 1 December to 15 March. In some areas harvesting begins in the third week of November.
Summer black truffle or scorzone
from 1 May to 30 November.
