With stocks in Milan in freefall, it is good to be reminded that some values in Italy are shooting up. The price of white truffles has doubled to 3,000 euros (NT$124,000) per kilogram in just a week.
Truffle hunters say the increase is due to low average rainfall in areas where truffle is found, as well as higher demand — particularly from buyers in Asia where truffle tastes have taken off, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
The price is now at around 3,000 euros (NT$124,000) for large truffles and some 2,500 euros (NT$103,000) per kilogram for smaller tubers — far higher than last year.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
Italian stock markets are sharply down this year, and last Tuesday they dropped by more than seven percent amid fears over Europe’s debt crisis.
The news came as the town of San Miniato in Tuscany gears up later this month for its white truffle fair — the main marketplace for the delicacy.
The town is famous for being near the spot where the biggest white truffle ever found — weighing in at 2.520kg — was dug up in 1954. The truffle hunter donated it to US President Dwight Eisenhower.
At a charity auction in Italy last year, South Korean wine critic Jeannie Cho Lee bought a giant white truffle weighing 900g for 105,000 euros (NT$4.34 million).
“It’s all for charity so it isn’t logical prices,” she said then.(AFP)
正當米蘭的股市跌跌不休之際,知道在義大利還有一些還在揚升的事,應是多多益善。白松露的價格,在一週內已翻漲兩倍,來到每公斤三千歐元(新台幣十二萬四千元)。
義大利新聞社ANSA報導,採集松露的人表示,價格上漲歸因於松露產地平均降雨量偏低,以及松露需求量上升─特別是松露品嚐風氣正蓄勢待發的亞洲,該地買主需求量大增。
大松露價格目前大約是每公克三千歐元(新台幣十二萬四千元),而小的約兩千五百歐元(新台幣十萬三千元)─較去年貴上許多。
義大利股市今年跌幅甚鉅,上週二就因為歐債危機而跌了超過百分之七。
該新聞發布時,正逢托斯卡尼聖米尼亞托鎮正為即將於本月下旬舉辦的一場白松露展做好準備,此展覽是松露這項美味佳餚的主要市集。
該鎮因鄰近松露採集地而聞名,當地一九五四年挖出史上最大重達二點五二○公斤的白松露。採獲該松露者將此松露,捐贈給當時的美國總統杜懷特‧艾森豪。
南韓酒評家李志延去年在義大利的一場慈善義賣,以十萬五千歐元(新台幣四百三十四萬元)買下一個重達九百公克的巨大白松露。
她就說:「這是慈善義賣,才有這般不合邏輯的價格。」(法新社/翻譯:林亞蒂)
A: Artificial intelligence technology has been causing controversy lately: a student was caught cheating with AI to win the grand prize in an art contest. B: That’s so absurd. Does this mean that AI paints better than humans? A: Maybe. Luckily, the student was later disqualified. B: And more absurdly, it’s becoming more and more popular to use AI technology to “resurrect” people. A: Yeah, some netizens even posted videos featuring the late singer CoCo Lee, who was “resurrected” by them with AI software. A: 人工智慧的爭議不斷,有學生違規使用AI參加美術展,甚至贏得首獎。 B: 真誇張,這是不是代表AI比人類還強大? A: 或許吧,幸好得獎資格被取消。 B: 還有更誇張的︰讓死者重現的「AI復活」技術越來越熱門。 A: 對啊,還有網友製作已故歌后李玟「復活」的影片呢! (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
It’s no secret that Japanese people have a deep affection for noodles. Like in the rest of East Asia, noodles are an important staple food, second only to rice. Japanese people have enjoyed noodles for over 1,000 years. The first noodles came from China and were introduced around 800 CE. As time passed, noodles in Japan not only became widespread but also developed some unique Japanese characteristics. The three most popular types of noodles in Japan are ramen, soba, and udon. Ramen, typically made from wheat flour, is usually thin and firm. The dough is kneaded and left to
Rice is an essential ingredient in Taiwanese cuisine. Many foods are made of rice, adding more variety to our cooking, such as rice cake, or “gui.” Wagui is made by steaming rice flour batter in a bowl. The term “gui” refers to a type of food made from rice, while “wa” refers to a bowl. The pronunciation of “gui” in Taiwanese Hokkien is similar to the word for “nobility” in Chinese, so it is common for people to prepare various types of gui, including wagui, as offerings to the gods or ancestors,. 米是台灣重要的主食,用米製成的食品十分多元,豐富我們的飲食,如米做成的「粿」。粿的意思是米做成的糕點,碗粿是將在來米漿倒入碗中蒸熟,因而得名。粿因為音同「貴」,因此碗粿等粿食常用作供品祭拜神明和祖先。 nobility (n.) 高貴,高尚;貴族 offering (n.) 供品 While Taiwan may not be
Continued from yesterday(延續自昨日) https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/lang As with many aspects of Japanese culture, there is etiquette to follow when you enjoy noodles. To fully experience noodles like a local on your next visit to Japan, consider these simple guidelines. First, be careful where you put your chopsticks. Don’t leave them sticking up in the broth or set them at the side of the bowl. When you have finished eating or if you’re taking a break, place them on the chopstick rest next to the bowl. Also, it is impolite to wave chopsticks around or bring them above mouth-level. Second, don’t take too