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    Home » Wild Mushroom Recipes » Truffles

    Michigan or Appalachian Truffles: Tuber canaliculatum

    Published: Nov 2, 2024 Modified: Nov 3, 2024 Author: Alan Bergo

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    Meet Tuber caniculatum: a gorgeous cinnamon-red truffle with a garlicky truffle aroma that's been the subject of whispers and rumors in the mushroom hunting community for years. Also known as the Appalachian truffle and Michigan red truffle, James Beard pronounced them "exquisite" back in 1977. For nearly half a century they've stayed underground in more ways than one, but that's about to change.

    Three Appalachian truffles or Michigan truffles (Tuber canaliculatum) with one cut showing the inner brown
    Appalachian truffles.

    Big thanks here to my truffle-hunting friends Luke and Natalie at Wild Goods for sending these to me after I've been pestering different truffle hunters for years without any success.

    They've been working quietly to crack the code on hunting them in West Virginia after their success with Blue Ridge truffles (Imaia gigantea) I wrote about a few years ago.

    A truffle hunter in the woods hunting truffles with two Lagotto Romagnolo truffle dogs.
    Luke on the hunt with two of their Lagotto Romagnolo truffle dogs.

    What Are Michigan or Appalachian Truffles?

    Previously known as Tuber bisporum, Tuber canaliculatum or T.can as it's known by truffle lovers is a native North American truffle that grows from Quebec west to Ontario and as far south as Kentucky. They're also the only truffle I know of found in Michigan. As time goes on, more discoveries will help flesh out their locations across the Eastern United States and Canada.

    They're also known as the fragrant eastern truffle, and mycologist James Trapp referred to them as the yellow furrowed truffle.

    A picture from a truffle field guide showing information 
on Appalachian truffles or Tuber canaliculatum.
    From the Field Guide to North American Truffles.

    These are a beautiful truffle with a distinct cinnamon-red peridium (outer skin).

    An overhead image showing the brick red peridium or outer covering of a Michigan / Appalachian truffle (Tuber canaliculatum).
    The outer surface of the truffles is a striking cinnamon-brick red color.

    The internal spore bearing material, or gleba, is dark brown at maturity and marbled with creamy white veins.

    Sliced Appalachian truffles (Tuber canaliculatum) showing the internal white marbled spore material or gleba.

    I first heard about these a few years ago when I saw my friend Chef Jeremy Umansky cooking with them. After asking around, I was told they were basically impossible to obtain as nearly all of the truffles harvested were being bought up by a few people intent on growing them.

    In a 2022 interview with The Tenneseean, truffle hunter Michael Riggan said he knew of only three people who'd harvested a quantity of T. can, so saying they've been hard to find is an understatement.

    Cultivation of Appalachian Truffles

    Maybe the most important thing to mention about T.can is that it's well-known for having vigorous mycelium, making it a prime candidate for cultivation.

    A hand holding a slice of Appalachian truffle or Tuber canaliculatum.

    As most truffles cultivated in North America come from the Pacific Northwest, a truffle with a native range from Quebec to Kentucky could be a dream come true for truffle growers, hunters, and eaters alike.

    There's reports of thousands of trees inoculated with truffle spores planted in Quebec and locations in the Eastern Half of the United States. It takes a number of years for truffles to take hold in the soil, but I'd expect them to start appearing on menus within the next few years.

    A beef carpaccio with sliced Appalachian truffles (Tuber canaliculatum).
    Expect to see T.can on restaurant menus in the next few years.

    Currently the price of Appalachian truffles is around $75 an ounce, which is on par with black truffles that have a much stronger aroma. The current price reflects market scarcity and will drop as supply increases, which could be as soon as 2025 according to this article.

    Looking at other the truffle prices, once they come to market in quantity I'd expect T.can to sell for $400-600 per pound, similar to Burgundy truffles (Tuber uncinatum), but that's just an educated guess.

    Hunting Appalachian Truffles

    I've spoken to a few truffle fanatics about these over the past few years. The information I get is typically (and understandably) a little vague, but there's a few things that are reasonably well known now.

    A truffle hunter walking in the woods looking for truffles with Lagotto Romagnolo dogs in West Virginia.
    Hunting truffles with the dogs in West Virginia.

    Season

    My truffle field guide says the season for T.can runs from July-Nov. When I spoke with Luke and Natalie, they said they'd had the best success in October and that unlike the Blue Ridge truffles, T. can seems to have a hard stop when it freezes. Of course, like all other mushrooms, having adequate rain is also key.

    Truffle Dogs

    Although it's technically possible to stumble on them (as the Wisconsin Mycological society did with pecan truffles in Northern WI this fall!) arguably the most important tools is a dog that's been trained to hunt truffles.

    Many truffle hunters opt for the Lagotto Romagnolo truffle dog. Luke and Natalie breed them too if you're really interested. From there, you can bring dogs for truffle training to my Alana over at Truffle Dog Company.

    A hand holding an Appalachian truffle (Tuber canaliculatum) while two Lagotto Romagnolo dogs look on in the background.
    Dogs will happily take a treat in exchange for finding truffles.

    Soil pH

    It's no secret that truffles like alkaline soil and limey, calcareous terrain. If you're serious, you'll want to bring a pH meter with in the field and I've heard you should look for soil pH readings in the area of 7.2-7.5. I've also read you should look for flat areas as opposed to ridges, slopes and hills.

    Tree Association

    All the resources I've read and truffle hunters I've talked to mention looking for Appalachian truffles in mixed woods like oak, hazel and pine trees. This should come as no surprise as oak and hazelnut are often mentioned as host species for cultivating truffes.

    Humans aren't the only things attracted to stinky rocks, either. Someone from Michigan mentioned looking at the base of old spruce trees for signs of squirreles digging. I've spoken to people who've harvested rodent caches containing pounds of onions, tubers or seeds, so stealing might work too.

    Hazelnut bush inoculated with truffle mycelium.
    Hazelnuts are well known truffle hosts.

    Flavor and Aroma

    What do Appalachian truffles taste like? At first I got a musty flavor with hints of onion, mushroom and truffle. After they breathed for a few minutes I got an undeniable taste of cabbage from them with hints of allium.

    There's a host of different truffles with varying degrees of potency and aroma. Many have additional, ancillary aromas alongside the truffle taste. For example, honey truffles have a sort of blue-cheese aroma up front, along with a subtle truffle scent. Pecan truffles have a distinct nutty aroma up front, with truffle in the background.

    Appalachian truffles or Tuber canaliculatum on a black background with one truffle sliced in the foreground showing the inner marbled surface.
    Tuber canaliculatum.

    Tuber canaliculatum tastes similar to classic European truffles I've had in that the truffle aroma is relatively strong and flavorful. But, it isn't nearly as powerful as the most highly regarded black truffle (T. melanosporum.)

    French black Perigord truffles on a wooden plate with one truffle cut open in the front showing the spore bearing surface.
    Perigord black truffles (Tuber melanosporum).

    Cooking with Appalachian Truffles

    I've had a blast using T.can in some of my favorite truffle recipes and they'll be great sliced or shaved on pastas, risottos, made into truffle butter or tucked under the skin of chicken to make truffle chicken.

    Creamy truffle pasta all Norcina.

    Just like all other truffles it should be used raw or added to dishes at very last minute. One of my favorites is an old Italian method of making a truffled omelet where the eggs are stored in a jar with truffles for a few days before cooking.

    A jar of eggs being stored with Appalachian truffles (Tuber canaliculatum).
    Storing eggs in a jar with truffles.

    The aroma infuses into the egg yolks, but not the whites as they contain no fat molecules. Cooked gently to a perfect pale yellow, still quivering on the inside and scattered with sliced truffles it was just as good as I remember.

    A French omelet with Appalachian truffles (Tuber canaliculatum) garnishes with cut chives.
    Truffled omelet is a classic.

    Another recipe I love is a rich mushroom soup inspired by one I had at Jacquis Chibois. It's garnished with truffle cream and a scattering of julienned truffle, the crunchy batons ensuring there's truffle in every bite.

    Gluten free mushroom soup with Appalachian truffles.
    Mushroom soup with truffles.

    Related Posts

    • Blue Ridge Truffles (Imaia gigantea)
    • Honey Truffles
    • Pecan Truffles (Tuber lyonii)
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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Dylan

      November 05, 2024 at 8:44 am

      bruhhhhhh

      road trip!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        November 05, 2024 at 8:50 am

        Yeah and the road trip might not be that far as they’re in Mi too. I just need to get a film crew and an outlet, it would make a great mini doc if someone would pick it up.

        Reply
    2. Max

      November 04, 2024 at 9:43 am

      Is that creamy soup recipe on the site? Some friends gave me black truffles for my birthday a few days ago and I'm looking for some recipes to shave them over. Thanks!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        November 04, 2024 at 9:45 am

        It’s in the works. What I did is use my morel bisque recipe, using 1-1.5 oz dried mixed mushrooms, 4 oz leek, 4 oz yellow onion, 4 oz celery, 2 oz shallot, 2 clove garlic. Splash of brandy. Reserve half the dried mushrooms and mince them as fine as you can, stirring them in the end when the soup is pureed. You can add some chopped truffle after it’s cooled and refrigerate it overnight to infuse, then garnish with a bunch more.

        Reply
        • Danny Pejsa

          November 28, 2024 at 5:57 pm

          Knowing they are in MI I'm going to reach out to a friend of mine who studies them at MSU and maybe we could plan a trip to try and find them over here! Would be an awesome experience to find them ourselves!

          Reply
    3. lorenzo tavani

      November 03, 2024 at 3:08 pm

      Another killer video boss. I have always felt weird about the costly European Truffles, but love knowing we've got our own unique flavors here in the midwest! Always appreciate seeing more of your face too.

      Happy Cookin' 😉

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        November 03, 2024 at 3:10 pm

        Thanks buddy. Crazy thing is they could be in your woods as they’re known in MI. Just need a dog.

        Reply
    4. Ben Kable

      November 02, 2024 at 4:17 pm

      Super refreshing to see such a detailed and scientifically accurate article/video. So much of this stuff is commonly confused. Thanks for listing species names. The comparison to the European truffles was a nice surprise at the end of the video.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        November 03, 2024 at 2:55 pm

        Thanks Ben. I'd been trying to get some for years.

        Reply
    5. Ben Kable

      November 02, 2024 at 4:10 pm

      Excellent article! Totally accurate, great video, great photography. Thanks for putting this out there about Appalachian truffles. For those who asked, yes they can be found on pine as well. I didn’t know Luke was finding these yet - clearly he is finding some nice ones.

      Reply
    6. Tatyana Beer

      November 02, 2024 at 1:03 pm

      Emotional roller coaster reading this one: excitement at the prospect of finding East Coast truffles… then devastation realizing they’ll never grow in New Brunswick, where all the soil is so acidic even our well water is acidic!

      Reply
    7. David Rhinehalt

      November 02, 2024 at 9:54 am

      I purchased some Imaia Gigantea from Wild Goods at the end of January after a (Perigord) truffle demonstration at the Mountain Research Station. I thought the smell of the Imaia was more intense than the smell of the Perigord (from the NC farm and a Perigord farm in France) but the flavor of the Perigord was more pronounced/ intense than the flavor of the Imaia. It’s great to have these special fungi in the mountains of the Eastern US. I’m looking forward to trying some of the other species including a farmed white truffle (Tuber borchii) in NC!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        November 03, 2024 at 2:58 pm

        Thanks for commenting David.

        Reply
    8. Phyllis

      November 02, 2024 at 9:18 am

      Hmm the Arizona desert soil is alkaline , flat and there are some pine trees I see around town. Up in Payson there are more pine trees but I don't know what other trees are there. Some pecan farms are around here too. Are you going to get a truffle hunting dog?

      Reply
    9. Penny Soppas

      November 02, 2024 at 8:43 am

      Are Hazel trees essential to their growth or are oaks and pines likely to have Appalachian Truffles too?
      Hoping to find them some days in the Adirondack Mountains.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        November 02, 2024 at 8:46 am

        I was looking for them I would look in woods with oak, hazel and pine.

        Reply
    10. Robin Coventry

      November 02, 2024 at 8:21 am

      Wonderful article. Nice to know we may be able to find them in the future on the East Coast. Would love to try them, yum.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        November 02, 2024 at 8:27 am

        Thanks Robin. This was a lot of fun to put together. Love the red color.

        Reply
        • Pixie

          November 03, 2024 at 5:33 pm

          Cool! Exciting! It never made sense to me that truffles would only be in Europe, even if they're a different kind. I may have to switch over from being a Cat Person...

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            November 03, 2024 at 5:34 pm

            If I could train my cat to hunt truffles I would.

            Reply

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