Russula lutea

"As slick and polished as R. brevipes is grungy. Not of course the glamorous varieties favoured by Roman or medieval nobility (and forbidden to peasants), but rather a humble Russula similar to R. brevipes. It seems that to this day woodsmen in Europe still cook this mushroom in the woods, roasting it oiled and salted over hot embers; centuries of warfare and wild game expropriation can force one to seriously consider such survival basics as fungi, frogs and snails, out of which one may eventually develop a superior cuisine (out of misère, luxe et volupté!). This superior cuisine, originating in Italy, gained impetus in France in the reign of Louis XIV; a French gardener began the deliberate cultivation of wild mushrooms in his own special compost, following the lead of the Italians. In England, however, although a few farmers followed suit by growing mushrooms in greenhouses, and venturesome chefs began to titillate noble patrons with fungal delicacies, for the most part, a nervous reserve prevailed; Gérard in his "Herbal" (1557) concludes, regarding mushrooms: "Few of them are good to be eaten and most do suffocate and strangle the eater." The reactionary 18th century food expert Edmund Grayton concurred: "Pepper, oil, nay all cook's art can no way wholesomeness to them impart." It was left to inspired continental chefs to raise mushroom cookery to the prestige it enjoys today."

In publication, Page 66: "Reflections on the Fungaloids" by B.L. Williamson, Ottawa, 1992. ISBN 1-894572-65-3