﻿74 
  A 
  PLAIN 
  AND 
  EASY 
  ACCOUNT 
  

  

  In 
  Lorraine 
  this 
  species 
  is 
  eaten 
  under 
  the 
  Dame 
  of 
  

   Polish 
  Mushroom, 
  because, 
  it 
  is 
  said, 
  certain 
  Poles 
  first 
  

   showed 
  by 
  their 
  own 
  example 
  that 
  these 
  Boleti 
  could 
  

   be 
  eaten 
  without 
  danger. 
  In 
  Russia 
  they 
  are 
  strung 
  on 
  

   threads 
  and 
  dried 
  for 
  future 
  use. 
  When 
  the 
  fasts 
  of 
  the 
  

   Greek 
  Church 
  come 
  round, 
  these 
  dried 
  fungi 
  are 
  in 
  requi- 
  

   sition, 
  being 
  prepared 
  by 
  simple 
  simmering 
  in 
  water 
  till 
  

   they 
  become 
  soft. 
  In 
  the 
  department 
  of 
  Gironde, 
  in 
  

   France, 
  great 
  quantities 
  are 
  preserved 
  in 
  this 
  manner 
  

   and 
  sent 
  annually 
  to 
  the 
  Parisian 
  markets, 
  and 
  when 
  

   required 
  for 
  use 
  are 
  soaked 
  in 
  lukewarm 
  water, 
  or 
  beef 
  

   gravy, 
  till 
  they 
  become 
  softened, 
  and 
  are 
  then 
  cooked 
  

   in 
  the 
  same 
  manner 
  as 
  when 
  in 
  the 
  fresh 
  state. 
  French 
  

   cookery 
  has 
  devised 
  many 
  variations 
  in 
  the 
  art 
  of 
  pre- 
  

   paring 
  this, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  almost 
  every 
  other 
  commonly 
  

   used 
  fungus, 
  for 
  the 
  gastronome. 
  There 
  is 
  certainly 
  a 
  

   kind 
  of 
  sliminess 
  about 
  the 
  Boleti 
  which 
  would 
  not 
  

   commend 
  them 
  to 
  the 
  tastes 
  of 
  many 
  ; 
  but 
  this 
  becomes 
  

   far 
  more 
  unpleasantly 
  evident 
  in 
  some 
  methods 
  of 
  pre- 
  

   paration 
  than 
  others. 
  They 
  arc, 
  nevertheless, 
  in 
  any 
  

   way 
  better 
  than 
  no 
  dinner 
  at 
  all, 
  and 
  if 
  our 
  rural 
  

   population 
  could 
  be 
  induced 
  to 
  look 
  upon 
  them 
  with 
  a 
  

   little 
  more 
  favour, 
  they 
  would 
  often 
  get 
  a 
  relish 
  with 
  

   their 
  " 
  potatoes 
  and 
  point 
  " 
  for 
  the 
  trouble 
  of 
  col- 
  

   lecting 
  and 
  cooking, 
  while 
  the 
  Boleti 
  are 
  now 
  per- 
  

   mitted 
  to 
  flourish 
  and 
  decay 
  year 
  by 
  year, 
  without 
  care 
  

   or 
  regret. 
  

  

  In 
  all 
  cases 
  the 
  young 
  state, 
  while 
  the 
  under 
  surface 
  

   is 
  still 
  of 
  a 
  pale 
  yellow, 
  is 
  preferable. 
  One 
  ready 
  

   method 
  of 
  preparation 
  consists 
  in 
  removing 
  the 
  stem, 
  

  

  