Alba, a small town in the northwestern region of Piemonte, is known as Italy’s white truffle capital.
It has hosted Italy’s most famous white truffle market, during which the auction is held, for close to 90 years.
Every year at this time it hosts the famous International Alba White Truffle Fair, which attracts around 100,000 visitors from all over the world who come to buy, sell and smell the tasty tuber.
Photo: Reuters
照片:路透社
Dry weather and changing climate patterns have hit production and sent prices soaring. Over the past 25 years, there has been a 30 percent decrease in truffle production. In some places, they are disappearing altogether.
Truffle hunter Marilena Tarable says with this week’s much needed rain the truffles have started growing a little bigger and a bit rounder because the earth has softened.
“But up until now, with the very hard earth, it’s really hard to extract them,” she says.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
A highlight of the fair is the truffle auction, now in its eighteenth year, with proceeds going to charitable causes. This Sunday it took place in Grinzane Cavour Castle with live satellite links to Hong Kong and Dubai.
The winning bidder for the biggest truffle at this year’s auction, from Hong Kong, paid 75,000 euros for a well-rounded truffle weighing 850 grams.
Isabelle Gianicolo of the National Truffle Study Centre noted that the auction price was “symbolic” and did not necessarily reflect the true market price, since the proceeds were donated to charitable causes.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
(AFP)
阿爾巴是位於義大利西北部皮埃蒙特的一個小鎮,被稱為義大利白松露之都。
義大利最著名的白松露市集在此舉辦已近九十年,松露拍賣會則在此間舉行。
每年此時,阿爾巴舉辦著名的國際阿爾巴白松露會展,吸引了來自世界各地的大約十萬名訪客前來,來買賣和嗅聞這些美味的蕈類。
乾燥的天氣和不斷變化的氣候模式已重創松露的產量,並使其價格飛漲。在過去的二十五年間,松露產量已下降了百分之三十。在某一些地方,松露正徹底消失。
松露獵人馬利雷娜‧塔拉布雷表示,本週降下了及時雨,因此松露已開始變大、變圓了一點,因為泥土變軟了。
「但是到目前為止,因為泥土很硬,要拔起松露真的很難。」她說道。
會展的一大亮點是松露拍賣,今年是第十八年舉辦,所得款項將捐助慈善事業。拍賣會上週日在格林贊‧卡烏城堡舉行,現場並有衛星連線至香港和杜拜。
今年拍賣會上最大松露的得標者來自香港,花了七萬五千歐元買下了一枚重達八五○公克、形狀飽滿的松露。
全國松露研究中心的伊莎貝‧加尼可洛指出,拍賣價格是「象徵性的」,並不一定反映實際的市場價格,因為拍賣的收益要捐贈給慈善事業的。
(台北時報編譯林俐凱譯)
A: I want to go to Neihu to see the cherry blossoms. B: Do you want to go by YouBike? A: Well, how much does it cost? B: The Taipei City Government just announced that riders can use the bicycles for free for the first 30 minutes! A: Great! Riding bikes is also more eco-friendly than driving. A: 我想去內湖賞櫻花耶。 B: 那要不要騎YouBike微笑單車去? A: 車費怎麼算? B: 台北市政府最近宣布︰前30分鐘免費! A: 太棒了,而且也比開車更環保。 (By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/台北時報張聖恩)
One of us is a murderer. The terrifying thought fills your head. There’s a corpse in the next room, and one of your fellow diners put it there. As the evening progresses, you learn disturbing secrets about everyone, and you’re forced to confess to a few yourself. You all have motives for the crime, but who committed it? Fortunately, it’s just a game. Murder mystery games are multiplayer role-playing games designed to be played over the course of an evening. The concept likely originated with “wink murder,” an amusing pastime that became popular in the early 1900s. In this game, a “murderer” kills
A: How does Taipei’s YouBike service charge after the free ride for the first 30 minutes? B: It’s NT$10 every 30 minutes within four hours. A: What a bargain. No wonder Taipei is listed by Britain’s “Time Out” magazine as one of the best 50 cities in the world. B: But I spotted a few English mistakes on YouBike’s Web site. A: I guess that aspect of it still has room for improvement. A: 台北市YouBike前30分鐘免費,之後怎麼算? B: 4小時內每30分鐘10元。 A: 真劃算,難怪台北市會入選英國《Time Out》雜誌全球最佳的50座城市。 B: 不過我在YouBike的網站上看到了好幾個英文錯誤。 A: 看來這個部分還有改善的空間。(By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times/ 台北時報張聖恩)
Mullet roe is a highly-priced delicacy typically served during special occasions like wedding banquets or Chinese New Year’s dinners, where families come together in celebration. The mullet roe can be prepared in various ways. It is usually pan-fried but can also be roasted or torched. To cook a pan-fried mullet roe, soak it in liquor or wine and peel off its membrane. Then, it is browned over a low fire and turned several times. Finally, the fried mullet roe is cut diagonally and is ready to be served. This dish is usually served with garlic scapes and daikon slices, but