A rare 850 gramme white truffle was auctioned for €85,000 in the Italian region of Alba on Sunday, with the anonymous Hong Kong buyer paying nearly 30 times this year's market price for smaller nuggets. The annual auction held in the region near Turin saw the unusually large white truffle sold at a price that would value it at €100 per gramme.

"The price of this exceptional truffle does not correspond to the market price, which this year is around €350 for 100 grammes," the event's spokeswoman told AFP. "What explains this high bid is the fact that the sale is for charity and also the rarity of a 850 gramme truffle, because the bigger the truffle the more valuable it is."