Shhh, the porcini are here but don’t say anything
Once again as in other years for the past week or so rumours of the start of the porcini season- the local wild mushrooms that grow up in the mountains around Barga - have been percolating around the city.
There have even been a couple of images of newly found porcini seen on a cell phone but today all the rumours became fact when one of the seasoned mushroom pickers walked into Barga Vecchia with a wicker basket across his shoulder containing the first of this year’s precious crop.
So an early start to the season … checking on the archives on the site we find that last year the first mushrooms that actually made their way into Barga Vecchia were also brought in by the same hunter as today but more than a month later - 21st June - (article here)
Porcini (Boletus edulis, the Latin name) is a highly regarded edible mushroom. It has a number of English names, including cep (from its Catalan name cep or its French name cèpe), king bolete and penny bun. A common term in current use is porcini (from the plural of its Italian name porcino).
The scientific name, Boletus, from the Latin stem bolet-, meaning “superior mushroom” and edulis, meaning edible, explains the species’ culinary qualities. This mushroom has a distinct aroma reminiscent of fermented dough. It has a higher water content than other edible mushrooms. source
EDIT: update on this article - the porcini featured on these images weighed just over 1 kg and as often happens they ended up in a restaurant - the L’Osteria in Piazza Angelio (site here) but none of Riccardo’s clients ever got in smelling distance of the precious mushrooms. A porcini sauce was prepared by the chef in L’Osteria but instead of serving it to the tables, Riccardo telephoned down to the Altana restaurant (3D image here) telling them ” we have the mushroom sauce, have you got some home made pasta ? ” upon hearing the affirmative reply the staff at the L’osteria promptly shut the doors and all moved down to the Altana for a shared meal celebrating the first porcini mushrooms of the year.
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The two mushroom hunters pictured here must surely be the dynamic duo of the mountains aka Giacomo Porcini and his faithful manservant Marlboro Boy. If they are they are better known in Scotland as the Kipper Twins. How about an article on the pair of them? These guys must be worth a few column inches or is it column millimetres in Barganews. By the way will I still get my porcini and polenta come August or will this early start herald an early finish to the season?
Zambo asked “will I still get my porcini and polenta come August or will this early start herald an early finish to the season?” - have a read of the article again … I have added an update at the end … if this “culinary socialism in action” carries on you might be forced to eat burgers
Sounds more like culinary plutocracy to me.
The plutocrats from L’Osteria,
don’t measure wealth in cent and Lira.
Like their friends from the Altana,
they measure wealth in God’s own Manna.
The Cep, Porcini and Bay Boletus,
A staff ragu or you won’t eat us!
I might go to Spain next year and try the fly, assuming that is that the Spanners sell to tourists.
Listen Zambo, caro
You better stick to Farro
Too much fungus makes you dizzy
(Remind him of that, Izzy!)
There was a young man fond of funghi
Who was also prodigiously hung. He
Stewed them in brandy
Which made him feel randy:
The result was decidedly funky
Fantastic Monacu and ahem, I am still laughing. What a hoot! Thanks also to O’C and DB for the original pictures and article which inspired all this wonderful tripe.
BEST,
CUZ
I would still like the Kipper twins to be immortalised in Barganews if pos.
What’s the secret of finding mushrooms?
Well, the first thing is to go out and look for them.
The second thing is to go out and look for them in places where they grow.
I go to the forest.
There are lots of trees in the forest.
My technique is to walk around the forest and look for mushrooms.
The trick is to look very low, at ground level.
The first time I went I was looking too high.
I didn’t find any that day.
When I see a Mushroom, I walk towards it.
If I am on my own, I bend over and pick it up.
If there is someone with me, I point to it and shout
Mushroom, Mushroom, until the other people see it.
Then I bend over, pick it up and hold it in the air for a few seconds.
Sometimes the mushroom is hiding under some leaves.
It is very difficult to see mushrooms under leaves.
If I see a pile of leaves, I use a stick to move them.
Then I look to see if there is a mushroom hiding there.
Most of the time there isn’t.
So I kick the leaves and carry on looking.
PS: Updated bad leg version
What’s the secret of finding mushrooms with a bad leg?
I go to Aristo’s.
There are lots of mushroom hunters at aristo’s
My technique is to sit around the bar and wait for the mushrooms
The trick is not to look keen
The first time I went I was looking too keen.
I paid a fortune for them that day.
Thanks for the advice Deety. I thought I would get in a bit of practice on the “look” from the bad leg version prior to our visit in August. So last night while my wife Izzy was preparing supper I got in character. Sit and waite but don’t look too keen. Supper arrived with a flourish rapidly followed by this pearl of wisdom…..You have a face like a well skelpt arse! Whats up do you no like fish?
Maybe the look needs a bit more work.
D’ya think?
CZ