Renowned French trufficulteur (truffle grower) Bernard Planche has decided to use an NFT auction to sell one of the largest truffles ever unearthed.
Planche, who has been growing truffles for over 30 years, believes putting the giant fungi on the blockchain would prove the truffle’s provenance, quality, and authenticity. According to Planche, he sees the use of NFT as a well to demonstrate how new technology can be used to support and even strengthen long-standing cultural traditions.
The truffle, seen above, is one of the most sought-after edible fungi in the world: the black truffle (tuber melanosporum). With the average black truffle weighing in between 2 to 18 ounces, Planche’s truffle comes in at nearly triple the size of what is considered a typical large truffle. And while it’s not the world’s largest truffle (or even the largest black truffle) ever discovered, its big size puts it in pretty rare company.
The winner of the auction on the Opensea marketplace can pay for the truffle in crypto or everyday money. The winning bidder will not only get the giant truffle and an NFT to prove the big fungi’s authenticity but will also receive a copy of a physical certificate of authenticity (pictured above).
While the auction of a giant truffle via NFT is new, using blockchain as a way to establish food provenance is something startups have been working on for years. A Boston-based started called LegitFish has been working on blockchain traceability solutions since 2018, and Ecogistix has been developing produce traceability solutions using blockchain for at least half a decade.
If you’d like to put a bid in on the giant truffle, you better hurry since the bidding ends Friday. To sweeten the pot, Plance is throwing in a private day of truffle-hunting demonstrations (including searching for truffles with dogs or pigs) on his private estate, the Périgord, followed by a Surprise du Chef dinner.
