Mushroom: A Global History

162 Pages·2013·2.78 MB·English

by  Cynthia D. Bertelsen


Edible
Series Editor: Andrew F. Smith
is a revolutionary new series of books dedicated to food and
drink that explores the rich history of cuisine. Each book reveals the
global history and culture of one type of food or beverage.
Already published
Apple Erika Janik Beef Lorna Piatti-Farnell Bread William
Rubel Cake Nicola Humble Caviar Nichola Fletcher
Champagne Becky Sue Epstein Cheese Andrew Dalby
Chocolate Sarah Moss and Alexander Badenoch Cocktails
Joseph M. Carlin Curry Colleen Taylor Sen Dates Nawal
Nasrallah Game Paula Young Lee Gin Lesley Jacobs
Solmonson Hamburger Andrew F. Smith Herbs Gary Allen
Hot Dog Bruce Kraig Ice Cream Laura B. Weiss Lemon Toby
Sonneman Lobster Elisabeth Townsend Milk Hannah
Velten Mushroom Cynthia D. Bertelsen Offal Nina Edwards
Olive Fabrizia Lanza Oranges Clarissa Hyman Pancake Ken
Albala Pie Janet Clarkson Pineapple Kaori O’ Connor Pizza
Carol Helstosky Pork Katharine M. Rogers Potato Andrew
F. Smith Rum Richard Foss Salmon Nicolaas Mink Sandwich
Bee Wilson Soup Janet Clarkson Spices Fred Czarra Tea
Helen Saberi Whiskey Kevin R. Kosar Wine Marc Millon
Mushroom
A Global History
Cynthia D. Bertelsen
 
Published by Reaktion Books Ltd
Great Sutton Street
London , 
www.reaktionbooks.co.uk
First published 
Copyright © Cynthia D. Bertelsen
All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic,
mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior
permission of the publishers.
Printed and bound in China
by Toppan Printing Co. Ltd.
A catalogue record for this book is available
from the British Library
     
Contents
Inroduction: The Importance
t
of Being Mushroom 
1 Anatomy of the Mushroom 
2 The Quiet Hunt: Mushroom Foraging 
3 Take Ye Faire Mushrooms: Cooking 
4 Preservation 
5 Nutrition, Medicine and Religion 
6 Cultivation 
7 A Mushrooming Future 
How to Grow a Mushroom 
Among the Mushrooms: The Major Players 
Recipes 
Select Bibliography 
Websites and Associations 
Acknowledgements 
Photo Acknowledgements 
Index 

Introduction:
The Importance of Being
Mushroom
On the contrary, it [the mushroom] is a human subject. Many are
the quaint fantasies which have been interwoven by man into its
lore, and thus its history is almost his history. It starts with Adam
and Eve, and it will continue after the ultimate man has looked
his last on a dying world. It embraces not only our first ancestors,
but such diverse characters as Judas Iscariot and the devil, Pliny
and Erasmus Darwin, the fairies and witches, and Baron
Munchausen and Sir John Mandeville.
R. T. Rolfe and F. W. Rolfe,Romance of the Fungus World()
The French philosopher Voltaire (–)once quipped,
‘A dish of mushrooms changed the destiny of Europe.’ He
was referring to the repercussions stemming from the death
of the Habsburg king Charles , who ate death cap mushrooms
(Amanita phalloides). The subsequent War of the Austrian
Succes sion (–), which developed into a global war (in
the American colonies it was called King George’s War),
absorbing in the process the War of Jenkins’ Ear between the
British and Spanish in the Caribbean, affected people as far
away as India. All because of mushrooms: those ‘toadstools’.
The history of the mushroom is quite a tale; one ringing
with murder and accidental death, hunger and gluttony, sickness

Ceps, also known as porcini, in a French market.
and health, religion and war. It is a story filled with theories
and literature, and tinged with mystery and magic. Writers,
poets and artists have ascribed to mushrooms the very messi-
ness and rottenness of life itself. For a long time people either
loved or loathed them. Now, mushrooms embody the ideal of
local-foods thrift and a renewed ‘back-to-the-land’ movement.
The taint of poisoning permeates mushroom lore and
history, but this is not the only reason for their bad reputation
within certain cultures. Several interesting trajectories weave
through this saga. The patterns of mushroom consumption
