Dec. 1 (Bloomberg) -- A white truffle weighing 1.5 kilograms (3.3 pounds) fetched a record $330,000 at a charity auction across the three cities of London, Florence and Macau.

The International Tuscan Truffle Auction, in its fifth year, aims to promote and protect the Tuscan truffle. The proceeds go to different charities in each country: The Consortium for Street Children in the U.K.; the Telethon in Italy and Caritas, Macau.

(Richard Vines is London food critic for Bloomberg News. The opinions expressed are his own.)

To contact the writer of this review: Richard Vines in London at rvines@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: December 1, 2007 10:38 EST