Italian Food #1

Wild mushrooms have an important part in the Italian food culture and roaming the woods in search of mushrooms to pick is a favourite hobby of many Italians. Some also do it for the money, because there is also a thriving trade of mushrooms - that is a physically tiring but mind-cleansing job. The ones in the picture* are Boletus Edulis, better known as Porcino (plural: Porcini). These mushrooms can sprout from July to November if humidity and temperature are right, but the best months are September and October, when woods are (usually) damp but not cold. During the autumn a competent folk can find several different varieties of edible fungi, in the woods and grassy fields. Other mushrooms sprout in other times and habitats: April is the time for the exceedingly pregiate Prugnoli, which sprout in the thick of undergrowth and have an almost inebriating smell (the infamous Phallus Impudicus can be found in the same places and times, tho). In November, it is easy to spot those known as Trombetta dei Morti. One day I found a giant specimen of Meadow Mushroom - Prataiolo Gigante - (actually, a slightly different species) which weighed 1.2 kg and was some 30 cm broad...

When the conditions are right, fungi can sprout in huge numbers. I personally found quite a few kilos of them in a day, and this year my mate picked 140 kg (!) of them during September and October. Mushrooms, especially certain varieties, tend to sprout in precise spots that can last for many years, and the knowledge of those spots (called fungaie) is a jealously held secret. Some folks died before revealing them to anyone, while others set out to follow the most reknown fungi hunters to steal their secrets. And sometimes it's a pre-dawn race to the most productive woods; or, my mate found his own eclusive place: it takes half a hour by offroad (from the nearest hamlet) and another half by feet to get there, at the head of a remote valley where there isn't even cellphone signal. Not to mention the never-ending struggle between fungi hunters and Rangers (a police force devoted to harassing hunters, fishermen and mushrooms hunters, basically) and guards of all sorts.

These hard-earned mushrooms can be consumed in many ways. Young Porcini and Prataioli can be sliced thinly and eaten raw after seasoning them with oil, salt, pepper and Parmigiano cheese shavings. However, mushrooms are most often sauteed in a pan with oil and a touch of garlic and parsley. Especially with Prugnoli, you can add them to freshly cooked pasta for a heavenly dish. Mushrooms can also be pickled or preserved in oil. Porcini and other Boletus often are sliced and air-dried for conservation.

But the most honourable end for them is sauce. Making a good mushrooms sauce is a reason of pride for anyone with cooking ambitions. It starts with chopped onion or scallion slowly browned in olive oil, and then it can be made with chopped tomatoes and mushrooms, or pure Porcini for the real connoisseurs. Some add double cream, but I recommend against. Then the sauce must simmer for at least one hour for best results - and possibly used to season a dish of hand-made egg tagliatelle.

Fungi can also be battered and fried, or grilled. If you find some Mazze di Tamburo, which often have a cap as broad as a table dish, you can spread oil, sieved tomatoes and mozzarella on the inverted caps, and bake the whole thing like it's a pizza.

Americans may want to check out this cool website about fungi.

*Foto © Marco Floriani - Passo Campo Carlo Magno (Dimaro, TN), VIII.1994