A rare, large white truffle was recently unearthed by a truffle hunter in the north of Greece. At 510 grams, the edible fungus (Tuber magnatum) is the largest to be found in Greece in recent years and the second largest found in Europe to date in 2017, according to a press release issued by the Meteora Natural History & Mushroom Museum. It is surpassed in weight only by a 570 g truffle found in Italy a few days ago.

The truffle was uncovered in the Greek mountains by the truffle hunter, chef and collaborator with the museum, Christos Plesiotis, together with his dog Brio. The find adds to the growing evidence that certain Greek regions are prime truffle hunting grounds. Most white truffles usually weigh between 50-150 grams.

Large white truffles are exceptionally valuable, usually ending up in the hands of fine dining restaurants or being put up for auction where bids can reach astronomical sums for particularly large white truffles. The current record for a single truffle, set in 2010 was $417,200 paid for a 1.3 kg truffle by billionaire Stanley Ho.

Currently on Gourmet Food Store, large white truffles are advertised at prices up to 14,000 euros per kilo.

According to the press release, both Plesiotis and the Meteora Natural History Museum hope that the truffle find will help them raise money for charitable causes.

As well as being a truffle hunter himself and training truffle hunting dogs, Plesiotis works with the museum organizing truffle hunting trips around Meteora in the region of Thessaly.

For more information visit: www.meteoramuseum.gr and www.trufflehunting.net.