Fun with Fungi: Elusive and Wonderful Wild Mushrooms
Mushrooms aren't just a pizza topping; they're a delicacy.
It used to be that when many people heard the word "mushroom," they would think of pizza. But mushrooms are so much more than a pizza topping, and nowadays the word can refer to a host of different fungi, each of which has its own unique flavor and character. Many of today's wild mushrooms are even expensive luxuries.
There is a wide variety of appearance, taste, and texture among all the species of edible mushrooms. They have a subtle but unique flavor, but they have virtually no calories, and no food value. Although there are hundreds of varieties of mushrooms, only a few have been cultivated successfully. Many flavorful mushrooms have to be "hunted" and not grown, because they grow only in the wild. Forests throughout North America are filled with wild mushrooms, but not many people know how to seek them out and appreciate them. There are only a few species of wild mushrooms that are poisonous, but they are easy to identify. The most popular of the wild mushrooms are chanterelle, morel, cepe, and field mushrooms. Other wild mushrooms that have been popular with gourmet chefs for centuries include black and white truffles, oyster mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms.
The typical white mushrooms that are commonly found on pizzas and in spinach salads were first cultivated on horse manure outside Paris in abandoned quarries, in the late 1600s. The ones we see today are descended from those white field mushrooms, and they come in various forms. Brown crimini mushrooms are related, but they are firmer and have a stronger flavor. Button mushrooms are small and have a deep flavor, but No. 1 mushrooms are quite large, watery, and soft. Cultivated white mushrooms are best eaten when the skin connecting the stem to the cap is firm and intact.
Morels can be found in abundance in Germany and France, but in North America they are available only in cans in grocery stores. You can find fresh morels in New Brunswick grocery stores for a few weeks in season, but not at any other time of the year. However, morels grow wild in Georgia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, and most of the states in New England. All types of morels can be cooked and eaten broiled, sautéed, stuffed, or in casseroles or meat and egg recipes. They can also be frozen or dried.
The most popular mushroom in Japanese and Chinese cooking is the shiittake mushroom. The shiitake is grown atop the stumps of oak trees, and is excellent for salads or cooking. Locally grown fresh shiitake mushrooms are now widely available in grocery stores. European cooks prefer to have shiitake mushrooms sautéed in butter alongside steaks or braised beef, but Chinese cooks like to have them stir fried. Japanese cook them tempura style, coated in batter and deep-fried.
One of the most expensive delicacies in the country is the black truffle mushroom, which grows around the roots of the truffle oak. Some black truffles have white veins, but most of them are actually very black. They cannot be cultivated and can only be found growing wild in moderately humid climates. The mushrooms grow about 20-30 cm below the surface of the ground, so they cannot be seen and must be hunted by specially trained dogs. Pigs were once used to hunt truffles, but they were too hard to transport, and the pigs love to eat truffles. Since dogs don't have a taste for mushrooms, and they love a good ride in the car, they are much better at hunting truffles. Gourmet chefs use truffles in pates, puff pastry, scrambled eggs, various sauces, or simply sautéed in butter with white wine. When purchased in upscale grocery stores, black truffles can cost several hundred dollars a pound. They are usually sold by the gram for only two months in the summer; the rest of the year you have to be content with having them from a can.
Wild mushrooms are usually very expensive, but their value as a gourmet delicacy is indisputable. The delicate nuance of flavor they give to sauces elevates ordinary food dishes to heavenly delights. People who hunt mushrooms happily spend those hours in the woods, because they are fully aware of the delicious rewards their efforts will bring them.
There is a wide variety of appearance, taste, and texture among all the species of edible mushrooms. They have a subtle but unique flavor, but they have virtually no calories, and no food value. Although there are hundreds of varieties of mushrooms, only a few have been cultivated successfully. Many flavorful mushrooms have to be "hunted" and not grown, because they grow only in the wild. Forests throughout North America are filled with wild mushrooms, but not many people know how to seek them out and appreciate them. There are only a few species of wild mushrooms that are poisonous, but they are easy to identify. The most popular of the wild mushrooms are chanterelle, morel, cepe, and field mushrooms. Other wild mushrooms that have been popular with gourmet chefs for centuries include black and white truffles, oyster mushrooms, and shiitake mushrooms.
The typical white mushrooms that are commonly found on pizzas and in spinach salads were first cultivated on horse manure outside Paris in abandoned quarries, in the late 1600s. The ones we see today are descended from those white field mushrooms, and they come in various forms. Brown crimini mushrooms are related, but they are firmer and have a stronger flavor. Button mushrooms are small and have a deep flavor, but No. 1 mushrooms are quite large, watery, and soft. Cultivated white mushrooms are best eaten when the skin connecting the stem to the cap is firm and intact.
Morels can be found in abundance in Germany and France, but in North America they are available only in cans in grocery stores. You can find fresh morels in New Brunswick grocery stores for a few weeks in season, but not at any other time of the year. However, morels grow wild in Georgia, South Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, and most of the states in New England. All types of morels can be cooked and eaten broiled, sautéed, stuffed, or in casseroles or meat and egg recipes. They can also be frozen or dried.
The most popular mushroom in Japanese and Chinese cooking is the shiittake mushroom. The shiitake is grown atop the stumps of oak trees, and is excellent for salads or cooking. Locally grown fresh shiitake mushrooms are now widely available in grocery stores. European cooks prefer to have shiitake mushrooms sautéed in butter alongside steaks or braised beef, but Chinese cooks like to have them stir fried. Japanese cook them tempura style, coated in batter and deep-fried.
One of the most expensive delicacies in the country is the black truffle mushroom, which grows around the roots of the truffle oak. Some black truffles have white veins, but most of them are actually very black. They cannot be cultivated and can only be found growing wild in moderately humid climates. The mushrooms grow about 20-30 cm below the surface of the ground, so they cannot be seen and must be hunted by specially trained dogs. Pigs were once used to hunt truffles, but they were too hard to transport, and the pigs love to eat truffles. Since dogs don't have a taste for mushrooms, and they love a good ride in the car, they are much better at hunting truffles. Gourmet chefs use truffles in pates, puff pastry, scrambled eggs, various sauces, or simply sautéed in butter with white wine. When purchased in upscale grocery stores, black truffles can cost several hundred dollars a pound. They are usually sold by the gram for only two months in the summer; the rest of the year you have to be content with having them from a can.
Wild mushrooms are usually very expensive, but their value as a gourmet delicacy is indisputable. The delicate nuance of flavor they give to sauces elevates ordinary food dishes to heavenly delights. People who hunt mushrooms happily spend those hours in the woods, because they are fully aware of the delicious rewards their efforts will bring them.
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