Tuckahoe being no exception, meaning a backwards or folksy people subsisting on underground roots, tubers and mushrooms. The southern African-Americans learned about tuckahoes from the indians who roasted them for food from time to time. The Indians learned about them from dogs and perhaps other animals who sought and fed upon them. Dogs and hogs are widely used in Europe for the very purpose of finding the subterranean treats which we call truffles. The only difference between these and tuckahoes is that the genus species is not the same.
Tuckahoes are the underground resting stages of a fungus.
They are found growing on the roots of many trees around the world. Tuckahoes are described as being either slightly or totally parasitic. The most serious damage in the United States from this fungus is found on the southern pines. It causes a condition known as little-leaf disease. The fungus which starts in the roots works its way up to the lower trunk, killing the tree which then breaks off close to ground level.