A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

In article , Sacha
writes
A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.

Most fungi are seasonal, so I would expect them to use dried ones for
part of the year at least.

Are morilles what we call morels?
--
Kay
"Do not insult the crocodile until you have crossed the river"

On 13/7/05 8:43, in article , "Kay"
wrote:

In article , Sacha
writes
A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.

Most fungi are seasonal, so I would expect them to use dried ones for
part of the year at least.

Are morilles what we call morels?

A Google image search says 'yes'! I don't know what 'girolles' are in
English. And there are some tiny little yellow fungi which I don't think
I've seen used in England.
--

Sacha
(remove the weeds for email)

The message k
from Sacha contains these words:

A Google image search says 'yes'! I don't know what 'girolles' are in
English. And there are some tiny little yellow fungi which I don't think
I've seen used in England.

Girolles are Cantharellus cibarius, which we in this country mistakenly
call 'chanterelles'. The smaller yellowish fungus might well be a
chanterelle - C. infundibuloformis - you'll find both from time to time
in Tesco's Woodland Fungi selection - correctly labelled!

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:

A Google image search says 'yes'! I don't know what 'girolles' are in
English. And there are some tiny little yellow fungi which I don't think
I've seen used in England.

Girolles are Cantharellus cibarius, which we in this country mistakenly
call 'chanterelles'.

The Collins-Robert French-English dictionary (the big one) gives
Chanterelle as the English for Girolle.
--
David Rance http://www.mesnil.demon.co.uk
Fido Address: 2:252/110 writing from Caversham, Reading, UK

The message
from David Rance contains these words:
On Wed, 13 Jul 2005 Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:

A Google image search says 'yes'! I don't know what 'girolles' are in
English. And there are some tiny little yellow fungi which I don't think
I've seen used in England.

Girolles are Cantharellus cibarius, which we in this country mistakenly
call 'chanterelles'.

The Collins-Robert French-English dictionary (the big one) gives
Chanterelle as the English for Girolle.

Maybe - but a chanterelle in France is Cantharellus infundibuloformis,
and the English hijacking the name is a case of mistaken identity - not
unusual where the english and mushrooms are concerned.

I've been studying mushrooms since 1950, and I admit with some shame
that it was only a few years ago that discovered the deception...

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

David Rance wrote:
[...]
The Collins-Robert French-English dictionary (the big one) gives
Chanterelle as the English for Girolle.

I've found the medium-sized one may not be reliable about food: gets
cummin and caraway mixed up, for example.

--
Mike.

On 13/7/05 13:22, in article ,
"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote:

The message k
from Sacha contains these words:

A Google image search says 'yes'! I don't know what 'girolles' are in
English. And there are some tiny little yellow fungi which I don't think
I've seen used in England.

Girolles are Cantharellus cibarius, which we in this country mistakenly
call 'chanterelles'. The smaller yellowish fungus might well be a
chanterelle - C. infundibuloformis - you'll find both from time to time
in Tesco's Woodland Fungi selection - correctly labelled!

I've never seen a Woodland Fungi section in Tesco! Perhaps they think it's
a bit too sophisticated for Devon folk. ;-) I shall have to start a
one-woman campaign! Thanks for the info on the 'chanterelles'!
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

The message k
from Sacha contains these words:

Girolles are Cantharellus cibarius, which we in this country mistakenly
call 'chanterelles'. The smaller yellowish fungus might well be a
chanterelle - C. infundibuloformis - you'll find both from time to time
in Tesco's Woodland Fungi selection - correctly labelled!

I've never seen a Woodland Fungi section in Tesco! Perhaps they think it's
a bit too sophisticated for Devon folk. ;-) I shall have to start a
one-woman campaign! Thanks for the info on the 'chanterelles'!

In Norwich, they're with all the mushrooms - there are usually
'chestnut' mushrooms, shiitake and others. But they must be very rude:
they're always on the top shelf.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

The message k
from Sacha contains these words:

On 13/7/05 13:22, in article ,
"Jaques d'Alltrades" wrote:

you'll find both from time to time
in Tesco's Woodland Fungi selection - correctly labelled!

I've never seen a Woodland Fungi section in Tesco! Perhaps they think it's
a bit too sophisticated for Devon folk. ;-) I shall have to start a
one-woman campaign!

Do you have farmers markets, Sacha? or a WI market? Mushroom
"Wildpickers" often go to them I've also seen courgette flowers for
sale at a farmer's market near our old place.

Janet

The message
from Kay contains these words:

In article , Sacha
writes
A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.

Most fungi are seasonal, so I would expect them to use dried ones for
part of the year at least.

Are morilles what we call morels?

Yes. But the French out-of-season ones are much more likely to have been
canned in brine.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Sacha wrote:

A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.


I presume you mean morels? The ones that look like a black mesh and go
exceptionally well with chicken. Also they cause strange vivid dreams.

You can find them dried (or sometimes in oil) at specialist
delicatessens. In season you can find the fresh ones too, but they tend
to be a lot more expensive. I once had a solitary one come up in the
garden - not really enough to do anything useful with and it has never
happened again. ISTR they must be cooked before eating.

Regards,
Martin Brown

On 13/7/05 10:02, in article , "Martin
Brown" wrote:

Sacha wrote:

A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.


I presume you mean morels? The ones that look like a black mesh and go
exceptionally well with chicken. Also they cause strange vivid dreams.

I didn't know the bit about the dreams but now that you mention it, I had
the weirdest and most 'real' dreams while we were in Paris, yes!

You can find them dried (or sometimes in oil) at specialist
delicatessens. In season you can find the fresh ones too, but they tend
to be a lot more expensive. I once had a solitary one come up in the
garden - not really enough to do anything useful with and it has never
happened again. ISTR they must be cooked before eating.

Thanks for the bit about delicatessens. I'll keep my eyes open.
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)

The message
from Martin Brown contains these words:

Sacha wrote:

A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried
ones usually or fresh ones? I ask because I've seen packets of various
kinds of dried fungi over here but never fresh ones. I love all kinds of
mushrooms, including the little girolles and I would be very happy to find
fresh ones in this country.

I presume you mean morels? The ones that look like a black mesh and go
exceptionally well with chicken. Also they cause strange vivid dreams.

Not all morels are black: most are a buff colour. I've never heard
rumours of morels causing any brain activity - however, the false morel
(Gyromytra esculenta) can, and can be fatal if continually eaten - it is
deadly when uncooked. (That's similar in form to a morel, but the folds
are rounded, and the colour is darker - toffee-coloured.

You can find them dried (or sometimes in oil) at specialist
delicatessens. In season you can find the fresh ones too, but they tend
to be a lot more expensive. I once had a solitary one come up in the
garden - not really enough to do anything useful with and it has never
happened again. ISTR they must be cooked before eating.

Nope. That's the false morel. All the morels I know can be eaten raw.

--
Rusty
Emus to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co full-stop uk
http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/hi-fi/

Jaques d'Alltrades wrote:

The message
from Martin Brown contains these words:

Sacha wrote:

A recent trip to Paris prompts me to ask if anyone knows whether the
mushrooms used in cooking by the French, such as morilles, are the dried

I presume you mean morels? The ones that look like a black mesh and go
exceptionally well with chicken. Also they cause strange vivid dreams.

Not all morels are black: most are a buff colour. I've never heard
rumours of morels causing any brain activity -

I speak from experience. Both with M. esculenta & M. conica.

however, the false morel
(Gyromytra esculenta) can, and can be fatal if continually eaten - it is
deadly when uncooked. (That's similar in form to a morel, but the folds
are rounded, and the colour is darker - toffee-coloured.

G. esculenta is *very* borderline on edibility even after extensive
drying to make the toxin evaporate and usually classified as deadly
poisonous fresh even when cooked some sources say it is OK with the
first cooking water thrown away. I think it is now nominally banned.
Cumulative toxin too. I have not knowingly eaten it.

ISTR they must be cooked before eating.

Nope. That's the false morel. All the morels I know can be eaten raw.

You may well be right. I checked my Collins field guide again. I still
remember reading somewhere that they should be cooked.

Regards,
Martin Brown