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World's Largest Truffle Sells For $61,250 At Sotheby's

By

Nell Casey

Published Dec 8, 2014

Modified Dec 8, 2014

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That's one expensive hunk of mushroom

 

courtesy Sabatino Truffles

By

Nell Casey

Published Dec 8, 2014

Modified Dec 8, 2014

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It may just be a dirt-covered mushroom, but the "World's Largest Truffle" has sold for $61,250 at auction. The fancy fungus arrived via Sabatino Truffles at Sotheby's last week, weighing in at just over four pounds. Early word indicated that the white truffle would be sold for around one million; as it turns out, the top bid rang in at $50,000, plus a 22.5% buyer's premium, according to Grub Street.

Not much is known about the baller buyer other than this person lives in Taiwan and made their bids through a proxy on a cell phone. The buyer has tasked someone with "chaperoning" the truffle on its flight; they better have a plate of hot, buttered noodles waiting in the terminal. Proceeds from the sale of the truffle will benefit Citymeals-on-Wheels and the Children's Glaucoma Foundation.

This year's truffle bumper crop can be credited to heavy rains in the Italian region of Umbria where much of the world's white truffles are sourced. This means a few good deals on truffle dishes at city restaurants, especially if you're the kind of person to drop a month's rent on a pasta topping.

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