A giant White Alba Truffle that weighed a scale-popping 4.16 pounds (1.89 kilograms) was sold for a staggering $61,250 at Sotheby’s, reports CBS News . The record-breaking truffle, which is reported to be the largest one ever found, was brought by a Taiwanese bidder who took part in the process via telephone and placed his bid while staying on the line on the other side of the planet. The buyer, according to Sotheby’s is a gourmand from Taiwan.
While the amount might sound stratospheric, considering the fact that it was just another truffle, just slightly larger, the Taiwanese bidder might just have got a steal. This is because of the fact that the bidding for the rare truffle actually started at $50,000. The previous record holder for the world’s biggest truffle has managed to rake in a cool $417,200 back in 2010. Compared to that, this amount is certainly peanuts. The CBS News report adds that this latest truffle is over twice as heavy as the previous record holder. The older record-breaking truffle, found back in 2010, only weighed 2.5 pounds.
According to ABC Australia , the record-breaking truffle was unearthed in Italy’s famed Umbrian region just last week. It was owned by the Balestra Family that owns Sabatino Truffles. Later, the CEO of Sabatino Truffles, Federico Balestra, revealed that they hoped that their latest Truffle would have managed to fetch seven-figure price. That however was not to be.
“I told everybody I wanted a million dollars,” Balestra said.
He adds that the huge truffle is big enough to “feed a party of 300-400 people!”
James Walsh, a spokesman for Sabatino Truffles, confirmed that normal truffles are the size of a walnut. This one however was only slightly smaller than an AFL ball.
While the newest record holder will displace the older truffle for being the largest ever found, the latter will continue to hold the record for being the most expensive truffle ever sold. The record-breaking truffle is likely to appear in next year’s Guinness Book of World Records. Meanwhile, Sothebys have confirmed that the Balestra family will donate the proceeds of the auction to several charitable organizations.
Would you ever pay these kinds of amounts for a Truffle – even if it is a rare one?
[Image Via Sotheby’s]
