Chicken Truffle

Last updated 2026-11-09 — Chicken Truffle is a delicacy among edible wild mushrooms. Also known as chicken-foot mushroom, umbrella-stem mushroom, and ant truffle, among other names. In China, it is most abundantly and best produced in Yunnan Province, with some also found in southwestern, southeastern provinces, and certain areas of Taiwan. Chicken Truffles grow around autumn each year. They are highly favored for their delicious taste, reminiscent of chicken flavor. Chicken Truffles can be used alone to make soups or stir-fries, or prepared by frying, pickling, mixing, stewing, roasting, braising, or steaming — all resulting in exceptionally delicious flavors. The *Compendium of Materia Medica* describes Chicken Truffle as “enhancing flavor, refreshing the spirit, and treating hemorrhoids.” Legend has it that Emperor Zhu Youjiao of the Ming Dynasty’s Tianqi Emperor era was particularly fond of the taste of Chicken Truffle. Every season when it was available, he had it rushed to the capital by fast courier on horseback. Nowadays, canned Chicken Truffle or dried Chicken Truffle can be found in major department stores and grocery shops in Kunming, available for purchase year-round regardless of the season.