EDIBLE NATIVE FUNGI. J5S 



neutralized by the use of acids or alkalies. Fungi of the mush- 

 room type grow rapidly, and rapidly decay. Chemical changes 

 take place so readily that it is important that this class of food 

 should be cooked as speedily as possible after it is gathered, 

 before any appreciable change tsikes place. ]t is by no means 

 certain that stale mushrooms are innocuous, and in some cases 

 where mushrooms have been accused of producing unpleasant 

 effects in persons of delicate constitutions, it is possible that the 

 cause was not in the mushrooms originally, but was developed by 

 incipient decay. 



We would dispel the illusion that the common mushroom is the 

 type to which all edible fungi must conform, and that all others 

 should be compared with it. There are some which have the same 

 flavor, or one closely resembling it, whilst there are others of a 

 totally different kind. Much disappointment is liable to follow if, 

 in all cases, it is expected to meet with the mushroom in some 

 modified form. There is as much difference in the peculiar flavor 

 of different species as there is in the different kinds of flesh. No 

 one would be satisfied if veal tasted like mutton, or roast pork 

 like roast beef ; and there is just as much difference in the taste 

 of the edible fungi. In some the taste is perfectly novel, and 

 produces a new sensation ; for instance, there is not the least 

 resemblance between the Puffball and the ordinary mushroom. 

 It is in this great variety that much of the charm lies ; otherwise 

 it would be better to adhere to the common mushroom than to 

 venture upon others which would be no better than substitutes. 

 In tasting of a new dish, therefore, it is better to forget the old 

 one for the time, and expect to partake of something which has to 

 rest on its own merits, and not on its resemblance to anything 

 else. 



As a natural consequence of this variety of flavor, it is 

 essential that each species should be used by itself, and that two 

 or more kinds should not be mixed together, in a sort of hotch- 

 potch, where no particular flavor prevails, but all are reduced to a 

 horrible mediocrity. A professed fungus-eater would no more 

 think of sitting down to a dish composed indiscriminately of half 

 a dozen species, than would a gourmet of mixing his wines, or 

 combining his venison with his salmon and turkey. Much of the 

 excellence of a dish of fungi depends upon the cook, for a bad 

 cook will spoil the best dish that was ever invented. It is no part 



