Kalahari truffle

What the truffle is

Kalaharituber pfeilii is a subterranean mycorrhizal fungus. It grows underground in the Kalahari and adjacent drylands and forms a partnership with plant roots. Fungal DNA from hyphae on the roots of tsamma melon, Citrullus lanatus, has been matched to the truffle.

Paul Christoph Hennings first described it in 1895 as Terfezia pfeilii. A later study proposed moving the South African samples to Kalaharituber pfeilii. The catalogue also lists Terfezia pfeilii as a synonym, so both names appear in the literature.

Traditional gathering and eating

San people have traditionally collected the truffle in the Kalahari. It is eaten raw or roasted, and it is also cooked by burying it in hot ash or coals and leaving it to cool overnight. The flavour is described as rich and nutty, and milder than European truffles.

In San tradition the truffles are called the eggs of the lightning bird, because they appear after thunderstorms.

Markets in Namibia

The truffle is sold at informal markets in Namibia at a low price compared with developed countries. A 2022 study of raw truffles sold in Namibia assessed microbiological quality, mycotoxins and heavy metals. Its reported zearalenone levels varied widely, from 45 to 9,680 micrograms per kilogram, so the safety of market truffles cannot be assumed from one sample.

Decline and pressures

Harvesters and researchers report that the truffle is declining. The causes given are excessive harvesting, climate change and soil erosion, and the decline appears to be stronger where livestock are concentrated.

A caution applies to the name. Some truffles sold in Europe as Kalahari truffles may be Tuber oligospermum, a less highly regarded truffle from Morocco. The label alone does not show the species.

Safety

The Namibian mycotoxin figures show that market truffles can carry contaminants, and the catalogue does not supply a safe quantity or a storage time. Confirm the identity of any truffle with a specialist, and buy from a source that can say where and when it was gathered. This page gives no identification or edibility verdict for Kalaharituber pfeilii.