L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 www.italoamericano.org 24 L'Italo-Americano T e n d a y s a g o , I w e n t t o m y neighbors' for a barbecue. Deli- cious, summery food – we had grilled fish and plenty of eggplant and zucchini! – good wine and chats with friends: what can you ask more from an end of august Saturday night? As we live in the countryside, and we are surrounded by b e a u t i f u l m u s h r o o m a n d truffle-yielding woods, our discussion soon moved to how the mushroom season was going to be: it had just rained for a few days in a row, but temperatures were said to raise again, the per- f e c t r e c i p e f o r p l e n t y o f porcini and co. Indeed, last w e e k w a s h o t a g a i n a n d mushroom hunters all over the area got excited: after a couple of years of meager r e s u l t s , i n 2 0 2 2 w e m a y have a good harvest. In this pretty idyllic cor- n e r o f I t a l y , t h e A l p i n e North-West, we love mush- r o o m s : t h e y a r e a k e y ingredient in our cuisine, b u t t h e y a l s o r e p r e s e n t a way for our communities to gather and celebrate, as the m a n y f a i r s d e d i c a t e d t o t h e m s h o w . B u t t h e r e i s more: for those who enjoy the thrill of searching mush- rooms, they are also the rea- son behind a cherished sea- sonal activity often shared with friends and families, especially with the younger generations. I can say that, e s p e c i a l l y i n r u r a l a r e a s , mushroom searching with your parents or, probably e v e n m o r e o f t e n , y o u r grandparents, is a moment of generational bonding that also involve the passing of knowledge about an activity, which is much more mean- i n g f u l a n d c o m p l e x t h a n m a n y m a y t h i n k . I t ' s n o t only a matter of learning h o w t o r e c o g n i z e g o o d mushrooms from the poiso- n o u s o n e s , b u t a l s o o f respect for nature and its preservation. It's all about l i v i n g i n u n i s o n w i t h t h e land that feeds you, just as it was centuries ago, without spoiling it or hurting it. And that's why mushroom pick- ing often becomes a bit of a life lesson, too. The way we see, love, and cook mushrooms in my area is not unique, because fra- grant funghi are ubiquitous in the country, which is not surprising when you think that 35% of Italian territory is covered in woods, the sine qua non condition for them to grow. Proof of it is how often mushrooms are found i n I t a l i a n r e c i p e s , f r o m North to South: if it's true that risotto, tagliatelle or po lenta ai funghi, are quintes- s e n t i a l l y n o r t h e r n , p a p - pardelle with mushrooms a r e p o p u l a r i n U m b r i a , m u s h r o o m p o l p e t t e a r e common in Sicily and frego- la sarda with mushrooms is typical of Sardinia. Italy is a land of mush- rooms, then! Yes, it is, but don't make the mistake of thinking it's all about porci- ni. Don't get me wrong, the famous boletus edulis is not called "the king of mush- r o o m s " f o r n o t h i n g : i t i s among the most versatile w i l d m u s h r o o m s b e c a u s e you can use it to make virtu- ally anything. It's good in sauces, you can make stews with it, or fry it – if you've n e v e r t r i e d f r i e d p o r c i n i , please do yourself a favor and have a plate next time you find them on a menu; you can jar it to make our famous funghi in compos- t a , u s u a l l y f l a v o r e d w i t h juniper, garlic, and laurel leaves. And of course, you can slice it and dry it, which makes it last longer so that you can use it throughout the year to add depth to any dish you want. But considering porcini t h e o n l y w i l d m u s h r o o m variety worth our time and money would be reductive a n d a b i g m i s t a k e . I n Trentino Alto-Adige, and around the Alps in general, y o u ' l l f i n d t h e f i n f e r l o ( c h a n t e r e l l e m u s h r o o m ) which is also known as galli- n a c c i o , g a l l u c c i o o r g a l l e t t o . I t s c r u n c h i n e s s makes it perfect in mush- r o o m s t e w s , a n d a s a delightful addition to sauces o r r i s o t t i . W e l o v e a l s o pioppini and chiodini, wh i c h a r e s m a l l , b r o w n a n d o f t e n f o u n d i n b u n c h e s : c o o k e d i n a n i c e t o m a t o sauce, or with loads of pars- ley, they make a greatly sat- isfying side dish and, like all wild mushrooms, they are delicious in sauces. They are also almost always part of j a r r e d w i l d m u s h r o o m mixes. O v o l i m u s h r o o m s (Caesar's mushrooms) are characterized by their dark yellow head and by the fact they are so tender you can eat them raw: in fact, one of the most common ways we enjoy them is in salads, just with a bit of olive oil. They are also delicious in soups and baked. But when you t a l k a b o u t b a k e d m u s h - r o o m s , n o v a r i e t y c a n beat mazze di tamburo (parasol mushrooms): I still dream about the times when my grandmother would bake them in the stone oven, cov- ered in olive oil, garlic and chopped parsley, their heads as big and fleshy as a steak. W e s h o u l d n ' t c e r t a i n l y forget savory and fragrant sanguinelli that get their name from the reddish, con- centric circles on their head a n d a r e e s p e c i a l l y g o o d grilled and served with pota- toes. In my area, we love to s t e w t h e m a l o n g w i t h f i n f e r l i – w h i c h w e call gallinacci – chiodini, and tomatoes to have them as a main dish, served with loads of nice bread, and per- haps a salad. L a s t b u t n o t l e a s t , w e should mention spugnole ( m o r e l s ) , w h i c h g e t t h e i r n a m e f r o m t h e w a y t h e y look, just like sponges! They are very "meaty" and can be added to sauces and stews: they are very, very versatile. You see then, I was right: t h e r e i s m u c h m o r e t o mushrooms than porcini in Italy! FRANCESCA BEZZONE Mushroom hunting is a cherished activity everywhere in Italy (Photo: Volodymyr Tverdokhlib/Dreamstime) More than porcini: Italy and its love for wild mushrooms LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS ADVICE LANGUAGE

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