Michigan or Appalachian Truffles: Tuber canaliculatum

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.

Related Posts

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