No room for shrooms?

A recipe for a fabulous mushroom soup

Just as we learn that there’s so much more to them, might we be facing a shortage of mushrooms?

Photo by Waldemar Brandt on Unsplash

From porcini to shiitake and the humble button, did you realise they are not just a consolidated lump of spores? Via hyphae, the web-like threads of the mycelium on which they grow, mushrooms can communicate with each other. A Mushroom Web, you might say. What do you suppose is on it - selfies of pink gills?

Studies have discovered that when they touch solid wood, electrical activity in wood-digesting fungi increases. They conclude this could indicate fungi use these impulses to pass on information about food or injury. Don’t tell the UK government: they will privatise them to increase staffing levels in the hospitality industry and the NHS.

Some mycelia spread over thousands of acres. Which is a good thing since mushrooms have already been drafted in quantity into the manufacture of plant-based foods. Along with soy, peas, and wheat, mushrooms are key to bringing you your vegan hamburger and other meat-replacement dishes.

Not everywhere is ready for this. While the West is confronting the fact that its accustomed right to regular steak-and-chips, meat-and-two-veg, is affecting climate, according to National Geographic, the issue is greater by far in South East Asia. Hong Kong leads the global herd, with meat taking up 32 percent of the daily diet while it’s only 14 percent in the US. In Japan and Vietnam it’s 18 percent, yet only 11 percent in the UK.

The problem is that the West’s concern over the impact of high meat consumption on the environment is putting pressure on the fish industry. Which in turn could put more pressure on mushrooms. They have been targeted to come to the aid of vegans and vegetarians seeking an alternative to fish.

Alchemist is a 2-Michelin-star restaurant in Copenhagen with a €15-million investment behind it, so named because just as alchemists sought to fuse philosophy, natural science, religion and the arts to create a new understanding of the world order, Alchemist aims through Holistic Cuisine (the name of wunderkind chef Rasmus Munk for molecular gastronomy) to “redefine and broaden our understanding of the concept of dining.” “Holistic dining is per definition multi-layered. It draws upon elements from the world of gastronomy, theatre and art, as well as science, technology and design, in order to create an all-encompassing and dramaturgically driven sensory experience.” Bon appetit.

With demand for seafood expected to double by 2050, we need sustainable alternatives. Non-profit The Good Food Institute is funding Diego Prado, Alchemist’s head of research (yes, it’s the kind of restaurant that needs one), to develop sustainable alt seafood by growing fungi on seaweed. He and his kitchen crew will work with a team of scientists from the Technical University of Denmark to create something fungi-fishy to go with your fries. It’s unlikely to be the seahorse sorbet popsicle “commenting on same-sex relationships” that you might enjoy were you able to afford a $650 ticket to the 6-hour long, 50-course menu at the restaurant. The scientists say the chefs’ contribution will be “critical” to the project bringing a “new dimension” and guiding the development of the food’s flavour in a way that would not be possible if the project were entirely lab-based. “Vital”, I’d have thought.

But as with my beef about plant-based meat (sorry), why do we need alternatives? Why can’t mushrooms be eaten as mushrooms, soy as edamame (or tofu or miso if we’re accepting processing), wheat as bread and pasta and pies? If we can’t eat fish, let’s not eat its ersatz facsimile. Rather, let’s get used to eating the other goodies nature provides, cooked simply and deliciously to be of themselves. Then we may gradually and naturally wean ourselves off the idea that we are deserving and natural carnivores and pescatarians and accept that we can live healthily and happily primarily off vegetables with the occasional foray, if we must, into something that once was alive.

It’s not only me fussing about the naming of alternatives: South Africa has just banned meaty names for vegan products. This has not been well received by makers of the stuff, who call it “a major step backwards”. SA’s animal meats sector, which has been lobbying for a prohibition of “misleading” and “incorrect labelling” of meat analogues, is very pleased. I’m not sure why those who’ve invested so much in creating a new food market wouldn’t want to create a new food descriptive. If the stuff tastes good, it can carry any label that distinguishes it clearly as something worth eating on its own account.

As to mushrooms, Whatever you are, said Abraham Lincoln, be a good mushroom. Mark Twain said, To succeed in life you need two things: mushrooms and confidence.

Discuss.

Me, I’m supporting both principles to the last chanterelle.

This recipe comes from the best and most generous cook I know, la bella Flavia. It’s wonderful in summer, being quick and simple to make and both rich yet fresh. But you can make it any time of year. Just have the confidence to be a good mushroom.

55g/2 oz butter
juice of ½ a lemon
115g/4oz mushrooms, sliced (I’ve become a fan of chestnut mushrooms above Paris/button mushrooms which have less personality, but either can be used)
1-2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh mint leaves
850ml/1½ pints good chicken stock
60g/2 fl oz cream
2 eggs

Heat the butter in half a cup of water with the lemon juice. Once it boils, add the mushrooms and cook 3 - 4 minutes. Season to taste. In one separate pan, boil the chicken stock then add to the mushrooms. In another, bring the cream to the boil. Beat the eggs in a bowl and slowly ladle in a quantity of the hot broth, beating well as you go. Turn the heat right down beneath the mushroom pan and, beating all the while, add the egg mixture back into it. Do not let it boil or it will curdle. Add the hot cream then 1 tablespoon of the mint - more if you wish. The flavour of the soup should be fresh but not toothpaste-y.