A couple of weeks ago, one of the largest truffles unearthed in the past 50 years was dug up in the Italian countryside by Cristiano Savini’s truffle-hunting dog Rocco.

The truffle was donated to a charity auction held simultaneously in Macau, London and Florence, Italy and fetched $330,000, according to Reuters.

Truffles (not to be confused with chocolate truffles) are highly prized in Italian cuisine for their unique flavor and aroma.

Truffles are a kind of mushroom that grows beneath the ground as opposed to sprouting above ground. Both truffles and mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi and are members of the same family as mold.

People who are allergic to mold may also be predisposed to react to truffles or mushrooms or other foods containing mold, such as certain blue-veined or aged cheeses like Roquefort or Gorgonzola.

Oral allergy syndrome is the more common type of reaction, but anaphylaxis, though rare in the case of mushroom allergies, has also been reported.

To learn more about food allergies, visit the Food Allergy/Anaphylaxis Solution Guide.