YeinJee's Asian Journal

One of the biggest truffles found in half a century, a 1.5kg specimen unearthed in Italy late last month, has sold for $330,000 at an auction held simultaneously in Macau, London and Florence.

The winning bid on Saturday night (Dec 1) came from Macau casino mogul Stanley Ho, bidding by phone via his partner Angela Leong, who was on stage with the auctioneer.

Ho beat British artist Damien Hirst and Sheik Mansoor Bin Zayed al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi for the prized fungus. Truffles can vary considerably in size and are prized in Italian cooking for their flavour and aroma.

Proceeds from the auction were donated to charities including the Caritas in China, Consortium for Street Children in the UK, and the Telethon in Italy. [Reuters]

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