THE MANNA OF THE POOR

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Volume 81, Issue 61, 4 December 1937, Page 15

THE MANNA OF THE POOR

Edible Fungi Neglected

r^HE LATE SIR ARTHUR SHIPLEY, most genial of naturalists, would often deplore our neglect Of natural sources of food supply. In a conversation with him in the Master 's Lodge, at Christ's College, says a writer in the London Observer, he told Oae of Certain experiments he had made* in what he called "living on. the country," with a humorous twinkle in his eye. England, it appeare^ Is rieh. in ediblo snails and frogs such as are eaten wholly or in part by Erench epicures. It would be difficult, I said, to persuade English people to eat snails. I had taken many would-be snail-eaters to that Soho restaurant with the sign above its doorway of a smiling xider on snail-back. When, however, the first wiggly morsel was extracted from its pallid shell, only one ont of seven had the courage to swallow it. The 'Master then told me a etrange story of two young women who remained plump and rosy while all tleir neighbours were being starved to death during one of the famines which. devastated England during the Middle Ages. They were accnsed of wichcraft, but confessed they had been living on cockToaches, the white flesb of which not only nutritious, but also has a pleasant flavour. As the narrator said. such diet would not be more Tepulsive than the Toasted locusts which are sold. foTty for the equivalent of a penny, in Eastern cities. I cordially agreed, however, with his subseqnent remarks on otir neglect "of the edible fungi, other than muShrooms and horse-mushrooms, which are so abundant. Many years ago I had attended the annual fungus dinner of the Woolhope Club, in Hereford, and tasted a number of these excellent comestibles without even auffering from indigestion. I well remember that a portion of a large boletus, taken from an oak tree, justified the description of it a3 a "vegetable beef-steak." Not being a professional mycologist, .1 cannot give a complete list of the good things, with their scientific names, which are popularly regarded as poisonous toad's provender. Dr. Badham's work on "The Esculent Fungi of England," which was published seventy years ago, remains the classic autharity. Here is a part of his enthusiastie catalogue. Agaricns fusipes, for pickling; -Puffballs, which some of our friends have not inaptly compared to sweet-breaa, for the rich delicacy of their unassisted flavour; Hydna, as good as oysters ( which,. they somewhat resemble in taste- Agaricus deliciosus, reminding ns

of tender lamb kidneys; the beaiitiful yellow . Chantarelle, that Halon Hala^ thon of diet, growing by the bushel, and no basket but our own to pick up a few specimens in our way; the sweet nutty-flavoure.d Boletns, in vain calling himself edulis, where there were some to believe him ; the dainty Orceila; the Agaricus heterophyllus, which tastee like thev craw fish, when grilled; the Agaricus j^er and Agaricus virescens, to cook in, tny way^ and .equally good in all; these were among the most con* spicuous of the trOuvailles. All over the Oontinent these nutritious growths, called the "manna oi the poor" by Roques, a French* master oi cookery as a fiue art, are highly valued. They are eaten fresh, prepared according to a variety of recipes, or dried and sold in the markets. The Agricus procerus, "good with several kinds of sauce," according to a French master-chef, is a highly esteemed delicacy in both France and Italy. It is a curious faet.. however, that the Agaricus campestris, our true mushroom, is shunned hy the Italians. There is no doubt that the truffle exists in England, but we have no truffle-dogs to seek it out for us. I have been told that its subterranean presence is indicated by the oceurence on the surface of certain rather rare and inconspicuous toad-staols, and that pigs accustomed .to rooting np a living in woodlands could discover its whereabuts. The morell, an expensive luxury imported from Italy, is probably fairly abundant in Kent and other southern counties. The valtie of the annual fungus harvest in Contifiental countries is estimated at more than a million pounds. There can he no doubt that this autumn will see an unusually abundant crop of Agarics and puff-balls. The warm nights, with heavy dews, have been helpful to their growth. I have been str'uck by their abundance during a motor iour through the South Coast counties, Farmers are not as willing as they have been in the past to allow the mushtooms growing in their fields to be gathered by visitors. But I have enjoy ed a couple of fine basketfuls, a Boletus, and also a Prunalus, which made exceUent fritters. I saw many epeci® mens of the high-coloured Agaric, which is a mild intoxicant, and enabled the poor little draper in H. G. Wells's short story to bully his wife and her rowdy friends, and so save his business. If the Ministry of Agriculture were to issue a pamphlet dealing with this neglected food supply, with full de--eriptions and illustrations, it might not be allowed to run to waste evetywhere.