In 2014, on today's date, December 6th, a white truffle weighing more than 4 pounds sold at auction for $61,250. Normally these things are much smaller, think the size of a walnut. So imagine walking through the woods with your dog who is trained to sniff out truffles (which grow underground), and you stop and start digging to extract this truffle your dog has found. And you keep digging. And digging. And digging. I can only imagine how excited this truffle hunter must have been to pull something this large out of the ground, and not only for the financial reward it would provide. This was truly a momentous fungus!
I frequently use mushrooms in my cooking, but I have never used truffles. While they seem like they are the same thing (and many people assume they are), they are different though related.
However, reading a story like this makes me want to cook with them today just to commemorate this remarkable find from five years ago. I could head out to the store and get at least a small bottle of truffle oil to use in my kitchen today, although I might have to try a few stores before I find one since truffle oil is not kept in stock by every grocer. To be honest, I also feel like going out and doing a little truffle hunting myself, a rewarding activity even if only typical smaller ones were found.
A final note on the sale of this item. I have read that the proceeds were all donated to charitable causes. A wonderful way to spread the rewards of this incredible find.
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