Pickles have been a Jewish culinary favourite for centuries, and now one of our number owns the most famous gherkin of them all.

Jewish-Brazilian billionaire Joseph Safra has bought the 180m-high Gherkin skyscraper in London - officially called 30 St Mary's Axe - for a reported £726 million.

Mr Safra, whose £9.4 billion fortune makes him the 46th richest person in the world, was born in Lebanon but moved to Brazil with his family when he was 12.

It was in Sao Paulo, where he still lives, that he created Banco Safra, now the country's eighth largest bank. Safra Group now controls worldwide assets worth more than £126 billion.

The company said in a statement: "The acquisition of 30 St Mary Axe is consistent with our real estate strategy of investing in properties that are truly special - at the best locations within great cities.

"We intend to make the building even better and more desirable through active ownership that will lead to a range of enhancements that will benefit tenants."

The Gherkin's previous owners, private equity firm Evans Randall and German property investor IVG, put the building up for sale earlier this year. The two companies bought the tower in 2007 for £600 million.