The largest white truffle found in half a century was snapped up at an auction last night by casino mogul Stanley Ho Hung-sun, who paid a record US$330,000 for the 1.5kg delicacy.
The auction of the prized fungus, which drew 20 bids, began with a starting bid of US$50,000. It was held on Mr Ho's home turf at his Grand Lisboa hotel and casino in Macau.
Mr Ho who beat out competing bids from British artist Damien Hirst and Sheik Mansoor Bin Zayed al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, was suffering from a cold and did not attend the auction, instead making his bids over the phone to his fourth wife, Angela Leong On-kei.
The sale, which attracted tycoons, movie stars and other celebrities, was part of the International Tuscan Truffle Auction held simultaneously across three cities - London, Florence and Macau.
Money raised was to go to charities Caritas Macau, Britain's Consortium for Street Children and Telethon in Italy.
Six of the 16 truffles sold at the international auction went under the hammer in Macau for a total of US$429,000.
The truffle was second in size only to a 2.5kg fungus found in 1954 and presented to then US president Dwight Eisenhower. But even at a relatively modest 1.5kg, Mr Ho's fungus had apparently acquired the nickname 'Truffle of the Century'.