Truffle bidder matches own record

MACAU, China – A Macau casino mogul bid $330,000 for a pair of white truffles, including one weighing nearly a kilogram, matching the record price he paid at the same event three years ago.

Billionaire Stanley Ho made the winning bid Saturday at a charity auction through representatives of his company, Sociedade de Jogos de Macau.

The pair included a huge truffle dug up in the central Tuscany region weighing about two pounds, as well as one found in Molise weighing in at about 14 ounces.

White truffles are the most expensive and highly prized of Italy’s truffles.

During the autumn truffle season in Italy, restaurants offer pasta and other dishes containing the edible fungus at sky-high prices.