MANHATTAN, NEW YORK - The world's largest white truffle has officially been sold. The Guiness Book of World Records certified 3.93 pound behemoth sold for $50,000 to a Taiwanese bidder at an auction at the Sotheby's auction house on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, according to the New Yorker.

“To be honest, we really didn’t know what to expect,” Dan Abernethy, a Sotheby’s representative, explaining that it was the auction house's first time handling the sale of a truffle.

The New Yorker explained that ordinarily Sotheby's parent company, Sabatino Tartufi, would simply sell the truffle privately to a high-end chef or wealthy epicure. In order to avoid the tax liability which such a sale would engender while drumming up some positive publicity for the firm, the auction house instead decided on this course of action.

Leading up the sale, rampant media speculation had talk of a $1 million purchase floating through the ears of New Yorkers. After all, the previous record holder, a 2.5 pound white truffle, sold for $417,200 in 2010. Given that an Alba white truffle is the second most expensive foodie item on the market, coming in after only gold leaf, expectations were sky high for this sale.

Sadly, reality did not live up to the talk.

“Things are only ever worth as much as someone in the room wants to pay,” Abernethy explained.

The next step for the truffle will be a flight to Taiwan. I can only hope the lucky bidder invites me over to dinner.