European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - September 26, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Living today let s get Funghi Caps off to mushroom recipes by Sharon Hudgins special to stripes Magazine when i was knowing up in Texas toadstools were funny Little things that grew in the Woods behind our House and mushrooms were the edible version that came in cans. The latter a Ere exotic expensive rather Bland and used Only in casseroles and Cream of mushroom soup. I Don t think i Ever tasted a fresh mushroom until the first time i travelled to Europe. Later when i was living in a German Village my Landlady Anil another woman asked i to go mushroom Hunting Wilh hem one Ift i noon. We spent two hours in the nearby Forest while they hunted and picked and i merely Watt if d i was impressed by their knowledge of mushrooms and their Bailif to distinguish Between the edible and the poisonous ones. And i looked Forward to  How to Cook some of those Beautiful fungi that filled their baskets. My enthusiasm faded however when they casually mentioned that the Man known As the mushroom expert in the next love had mistakenly eaten a poisonous mushroom and was still in the Hospital alter six weeks in critic Al condition. By the end of our Hunt i v. As so afraid of eating wild mushrooms that i accepted Only a few of my Landlady s collection then threw them away As soon As she. Was gone. A couple months later another German Friend proudly presented me with a giant Sec Inpil Stone mushroom that she had found on her Mother s farm in Thuringia. Not knowing what to do with a Sec Inpil and still not trusting anyone to pick wild mushrooms i kept the giant fungus in the refrigerator until it died a Noble death of old age. I now greatly regret neglecting that Stcin Pih my paranoia about Amateur mushroom Hunters did t prevent me from eating fresh mushrooms however. I bought them in markets cooked them at Home and ordered them in restaurants. Over the years i be Learned which ones i like Best and How to prepare them in several delicious ways. I Haven t yet Learned to identify and pick my own mushrooms though. I prefer to leave that task to the experts who incidentally usually require 10 specimens of any mushroom before being certain of its identification. There Are approximately 2,000 known species of mushroom which grow wild in Fields and forests All Over the world from the High latitudes to the tropics. Many kinds of mushrooms Are also cultivated grown commercially and these Are available in stores year round. For botanical reasons however there Are several types of mushrooms that cannot be cultivated and hence these arc available Only during the particular season in which they can be found growing in the wild. In addition to their delicate earthy Musky sometimes nutty flavor so highly prize by lovers of Good food mushrooms also contain protein vitamins minerals and fiber. But they have Only 90 to 125 calories per Pound. Mushrooms Are therefore an excellent diet food except of course when you saute them with Olive Oil or butter or use them in Rich Cream sauces or. Well who would want to deny Rinir rooms their proper ? t Here Are so Many kinds of def a mushrooms that it Wou d take a huge Book to  i r ill of them and Indrid hundreds of books have Birn written in Don r. Of languages on the subject t of mushrooms. Fol of Iri is a description of the most common types of european and Oriental mushrooms both wild and re Kivuti a which can be found in markets today. Many of the t1 kinds of mushrooms Are also available in the United states. I have also listed their common names in French German italian , and japanese whore relevant Champignon the world s most widely cultivated mushroom these account for b5 percent of ail commercial mushroom production. Claim pigeons arc those White to Light Brown mushrooms that can be found in almost every Western supermarket. Also known As Champignon de Paris because that s where they were first cultivated on a Large scale in the mid-17th cent Rya a Urpi pc Funghi i Sohura and Hongo Plant ado. Chant Eues so named because they arc shaped like Small trumpets although they Are known by More than 200 other names in i Europe. Yellow to Rod Orange in color their Caps tops Are fluted around the edges and the stems have pleats or ridges which extend vertically up under the Caps like gothic fan vaulting. Chewy in texture and delicious cooked whole in Cream sauce. Other names Giro Lei  Galli Rucio ten Fern of. Cepes the famous boletus Vul ii mushroom. The germans Call these Stcin Pilic Stone mushroom Sand the italians know them As porcini Little pigs. Perhaps the most widely eaten mushroom in Europe cries Are also considered by Many people to be one of the world s most delicious fungi. Found in forests under Oak Chestnut and Beech Trees capes Range in color from Yellowish to medium Brown with thick shiny Caps spongy Gills the underside of the Cap Sand a thick Vitsht color Stem. They arc gathered in the wild from late summer until late autumn and cannot be artificially cultivated. Interestingly dried ropes Are even Marc flavorful than fresh ones Moths Ako known As Morillos  and spin Noli Roto Nili these mushrooms Are in season from february to May depending on geographical local Ion they arc found Only in forests and cannot be cultivated. Ranging in color from Tan to Black morels Are conical in shape with the Stem at the base of the Cone. The elongated Caps Are so pitted and convoluted that they looked like sponges and the entire mushroom � hollow inside. Oyster mushrooms also known As tree oysters  Hir Atuck and so me i these mushrooms grow wild on the trunks and limbs of Hardwood Trees and Are also cultivated Commer Kady. Their Oyster name refers to the color and shape of their Caps which Are Gray and elliptical with a while Stem joining the Cap at one Edge. Popular in both Europe and the Orient Oyster mushrooms have a chewy spongy texture when cooked and they make Nice accompaniments to beef and pork. Shiitake the Best known and most widely used Oriental mushroom. Also called japanese tree mushrooms because they grow both wild and under cultivation on Oak logs. Thick of Stem they have Large Flat dark Brown Caps beautifully patterned with Tan color cracks on lop and with deeply pleated Gills underneath. Dried Shiitake have very dark Caps one to two inches in diameter. They Are used in japanese dishes such As Waiyaki and , and in Many chinese dishes. Matsutake Are Oriental mushrooms very similar to Shi ukr except that the former grow on Pine logs. Enok Dake these grow in the Mountain ranges of Northern Japan on the stumps of Unoki Hackberry Trees. Also known As Yuki no Shita under the Snow because in the wild they grow underneath the Snow. Cultivated ones grow on a mixture of moist sawdust and Rice bran. Second Only to Shiitake in japanese mushroom production  Range in color from Tan to pure White and Are very slim with a tiny Cap. Straw mushrooms so named because they Are cultivated on Bunches of moist Rice Straw these mushrooms have a slender Stem and tapered Brown Cap that looks like a partially opened umbrella. Often used in chinese dishes. Mushrooms can be purchased in Many forms we canned in liquid Frozen pickled dried whole or in pieces in cans or plastic bag Sand even dried and powdered. Three ounces of dried mushrooms is equivalent to i Pound of fresh mushrooms. One Pound of Tresh mushrooms serves three to four people but if you Are feeding avid mushroom eaters you d better allow 1 / pounds for four people. When buying fresh mushrooms choose ones that look firm not Mushy. Although size is not a reliable indicator of whether a mushroom is tender big ones can be just As Lender As Small one you Tan almost always count on the Cap being More Lender than the Stem raw mushrooms will stay fresh for five Days in the Relfi Gerater if you first remove any plastic wrap surrounding the mushrooms then cover them with a Damp paper Towel. Moisten the paper Towel daily but Don t wet it so much that it becomes soggy. Mushrooms should not be peeled because the Peel contains most of the flavor. Presh mushrooms should be cleaned just before using no earlier. If the mushrooms Are not very dirty merely wipe them stripes Magazine september a 1985