By Cat Holmes
University of Georgia

In Europe, the black truffle season is under way, with prices
for
the hard-to-find delicacy ranging from $600 to $1,000 per pound.
Here in Georgia, truffle season has just come to an end. Pecan
truffle season, that is.

Not to be mistaken for the “truffles” in candy shops, black
and
pecan truffles are a kind of fungus that grow underground among
the roots of trees, with hard-to-describe flavors related by
connoisseurs as both “earthy” and “delicious.”

Tim Brenneman, a plant pathologist with the University of
Georgia
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, discovered
pecan truffles in Georgia 13 years ago.

They were originally found in Texas in 1958 but are not as
common
there. So named because they’re found among the roots of pecan
trees, pecan truffles are gradually gaining the attention of fine
regional restaurants and truffle merchants throughout the
country.

Truffle cousins

Pecan truffles are of the same genus as the highly prized
black
and white truffles of Europe. But they’re a different species,
Brenneman said.

“They will never replace the high-dollar white and black
truffles
of Europe,” he said. “But among the chefs who have cooked with
them, the consensus is that they do have very desirable
characteristics.”

“I sent some to Elizabeth’s (restaurant) in Savannah several
years ago,” Brenneman said. “They were interested because they
showcase unique ingredients from the Southeast. Once they tried
them, they were ready to add them to the menu.”

Featured menu item

Indeed, pecan truffles have been on the Elizabeth’s menu for
two
years now. They’re featured in a dish called “Southern creamed
rice with country ham and vegetables with shaved pecan
truffles.”

“Pecan truffles are a little milder than European truffles,”
said
Morgan Schaff of Elizabeth’s. “They’re not quite as rich, and
they have a nuttier taste. They’re very, very good.”

Elizabeth’s buys pecan truffles for $100 per pound from
Magnolia
Plantation, near Albany. Brenneman has found more pecan truffles
there than in any other pecan orchard in Georgia.

You have to find ’em

Because truffles must be foraged — a good, stiff-tined garden
rake is the tool of choice, said Magnolia Plantation manager
Frank Stimpson — they’re not as consistent as cultivated
crops.

“It’s a natural product that depends on the cycles of nature,”
Brenneman said. “We’ve found close to a pound of pecan truffles
under some trees and none under others. They’re not uniformly
distributed. We’re making efforts to propagate the truffles, but
so far we haven’t harvested any (from these attempts).

“Of course, there has been an intensive effort in Europe for
decades to produce the European truffles,” he said. “And while
there has been some success, they’re still not delivering them by
the truckload.”

Pecan truffle season

The pecan truffle season in Georgia begins in July-August and
winds down in November or early December, Brenneman said. To find
them, use a stiff-tined garden rake among the roots of a pecan
tree. Typically, he said, the tines will catch on the truffles,
if any are present.

Brenneman cautions that many other types of fungi grow under
pecan trees. Folks often confuse puff balls with pecan truffles.
Pictures of pecan truffles, which look like small potatoes, can
be found at
(ht
tp://www.plant.uga.edu/mycology-herbarium/GAascos.htm).

Truffle potential

Pecan truffles are in the early stages of commercialization,
Brenneman said, and “the potential to make pecan truffles a
viable business is clearly there. The task at hand is to develop
it as a commodity. To really make a go, someone in private
industry would have to take it by the horns.”

For commercial pecan growers, Brenneman said, truffles could
evolve into a lucrative commodity. “The truffles are easier to
spot in commercial pecan orchards because herbicide applications
eradicate weeds,” he said.

“Part of the mystique of the truffle is its scarcity and
novelty,” Brenneman said, adding that truffles probably won’t
supersede pecans themselves in popularity. “Personally, I’d
rather eat the pecans than the truffles.”