The truffle, weighing 1,040 grams (2.29 pounds) was found by a forester from the NEFAG Zrt. forestry service in Hungary’s southern Baranya county, Origo reports.
Of the three main truffle varieties, Hungary – alongside several Balkans countries, Austria and Switzerland – is home to the Istrian truffle (Tuber magnatum). The Istrian truffle is also the most expensive of the three varieties, with prices of up to EUR 4,500 per kilogram.
The truffle season in Hungary is from October to the end of December and besides the short season, the other reason Istrian truffles fetch such handsome prices is that their cultivation has not been solved yet.
This year, due to a long and hot summer the truffle crop in the region has been particularly plentiful – which also means that prices have dropped to around a mere EUR 3,000 per kilogram.
Title image: Giant truffle found in Baranya county (photo: Agriculture Ministry)
