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  • CHINA: World's largest white truffle sells for more than 300-thousand U.S. dollars

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CHINA: World's largest white truffle sells for more than 300-thousand U.S. dollars

Gaming tycoon Stanley Ho buys a rare giant white truffle for 330,000 U.S. dollars during a spirited auction in China. The largest white truffle dug out of the ground in half a century fetched 330,000 U.S. dollars at an auction held simultaneously in Macau, Florence and London on Saturday (December 1). The giant fungus, which weighs more than 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds), was presented on a silver platter by an Italian chef flanked by Chinese models to the flash of cameras ahead of the auction. It was brought up on stage at the Grand Lisboa Hotel in the gaming mecca of Macau covered by a red handkerchief. "Normally truffles are more round. This a little bit, it looks like the brain of a man without, inside the brain. But it's nice, very nice," said Alfonso Iaccarrino, Italian chef at the Lisboa Hotel, who posed with the delicate mushroom and prepared a 4-course meal featuring white truffle dishes at the gala auction event. The auction was at times chaotic, with bidders jumping in with escalating amounts. The venues in Macau, Florence and London were linked by satellite. Auctioneers yelled out numbers to each other, with the most active bidding coming from the Macau venue. The white truffle was eventually bought by gaming magnate Stanley Ho. The billionaire, whose company owns the Grand Lisboa, placed his bids by telephone through his partner Angela Leong who was on stage with the auctioneer. Leong is known throughout Hong Kong and Macau as Stanley Ho's fourth wife. Truffles can vary considerably in size and are prized in Italian cooking for their flavour and aroma. The 1.5 kilogram (3.3 pounds) tuber magnatum pico truffle was found on November 23 near Pisa, Italy, by Cristiano Savini, who donated it to the International Tuscan Truffle Auction. Proceeds from the auction were donated to charities including the Caritas in China, Consortium for Street Children in the U.K., and the Telethon in Italy.

ITN Source | December 2, 2007Watch more videos from ITN Source

Tags:. .stage. .jumping. .ground. .december. .active











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