SC - Re: Stroganoff

[Philip & Susan Troy]

> Date: 21 Jan 1998 10:11:52 -0800
> From: "Marisa Herzog" <marisa_herzog at macmail.ucsc.edu>
> Subject: Re: SC - Phyllo mushroom pa

> Does anybody know what type of mushrooms would have been used in period that
> they would have needed to be parboiled and peeled?  The wild mushrooms I have
> experience with (chantarelles, oyster, portabello...) all work fine without
> needing any extra boiling or peeling, if anything they are more delicate than
> store-bought button mushrooms... even if they are dried they just need to be
> re-hydrated a bit, not peeled.
> - -brid
> (curious)

I have a book on wild mushrooms (unfortunately now inaccessible for the
moment) which includes several hundred varieties, both edible, inedible,
and some on the borderline between the two.

Many are regarded as more or less edible in a qualified sense: they
contain some toxins, so uncontrolled ingestion could cause harm. Two
ways in which many such varieties can be eaten with decreased chances of
problems with toxicity are peeling and parboiling. Apparently either
some mushrooms contain higher levels of toxin in the outer skin, or
perhaps peeling exposes a more porous surface so that toxins can escape
from the mushroom proper. Parboiling would tend to break down some
toxins (depending on what they are and how they behave), and also, and
perhaps more importantly, cause the toxins to diffuse out into the
cooking liquid, which you then discard.

Not knowing what variety Le Menagier is referring to, we can't be sure
one way or the other why he advises his bride to peel and parboil. What
is almost certain is that he's not talking about cultivated champignons.
While agaricus field mushrooms did exist in the wild (flat field caps
and "horse mushrooms" are a bit like portobellos), I don't think they
were especially prized over some other varieties.

Adamantius
troy at asan.com
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