Why Hong Kong loves white truffle so much – and why they’re so expensive: from ‘truffle king’ Umberto Bombana to Stanley Ho’s record-breaking tubers, inside the city’s lust for ‘white gold’
- One sure-fire way to know autumn is upon us? The culinary world is going crazy for that elusive and desperately expensive ‘white gold’, Alba white truffle – and nowhere gets giddier than Hong Kong
- Casino magnate Stanley Ho once paid US$330,000 for a single tuber, and Hongkongers regularly claim the biggest pieces at the annual Alba White Truffle World Auction
In 2021, an 850-gram Alba white truffle was sold for €103,000 (US$110,000) while a year later, a 950-gram specimen fetched €184,000 (US$196,000). Both were sold through the annual Alba White Truffle World Auction – a charity event held every November in Piedmont, Italy, featuring the world’s largest and finest white truffles – and both were bought by Hong Kong bidders. In fact, out of the auction’s 23 years of history, there have only been a handful of times when the winning bidder was not from Hong Kong.
Meet the ‘king’ of white truffles
“Hong Kong is very much a hotspot for white truffles,” says Umberto Bombana, chef and co-owner of 8 ½ Otto e Mezzo Bombana, who had his first taste of the prized ingredient at the age of 13. “My grandmother was working as a chef and preparing a meal for an aristocratic family, and I was able to try some white truffles in a simple pasta. Its smell and flavour has captured my imagination ever since.”
Why are Alba white truffles so expensive?
First of all, they are seasonal, grown in the wild and can only be harvested once a year. Second, they are extremely finicky and sensitive to changes in temperature and climate, meaning that any slight changes affect their scarcity and supply. Truffle hunting is also a laborious process that involves hunters and dogs to unearth the hidden gems by hand, and once harvested, they must be quickly transported around the world and consumed within 10 days.
“A great truffle has a depth and complexity that goes beyond the senses,” says Alberto Perez, Asia director of Sabatino Tartufi Hong Kong, one of the world’s top truffle suppliers with 110 years of history. “Its aroma can take over an entire room in seconds, and like a great kiss, it can’t be described but experienced.”
Matteo Morello, founder of Castellana, an Italian restaurant in Central, Hong Kong, agrees: “The aroma of the truffle can tell you whether it is of good quality. In Piedmont, we consider the very best white truffles to be ones that are slightly pink on the inside. Although these truffles may not grow very large in size, they have an extremely intense aroma that is highly sought after.”
The shape and size-to-weight ratio of the white truffle also matters, according to Maurizio Pace, head chef at LPM Restaurant & Bar, inside H Queen’s, Central. “It gives an indication of the soil that the truffle has matured in and how fresh it is,” he says. “I would also look at its colour, moisture level and aroma. Just like a fine wine, the truffle can have notes of hazelnut, walnut and so on.”
Where do most truffles in Hong Kong come from?
When asked where their white truffles were sourced from, most restaurants prefer not to name their actual supplier but claim that they are from Alba. That said, not all Italian white truffles come from the Alba region in Piedmont.