The mushroom hunters
Subtitle: on the trail of an underground America
By: Langdon Cook
Edition: First edition.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Published: 2013
Language: eng
Number of pages: 296
ISBN-13: 9780345536259; 9780345536266
Subjects: Mushrooms; Edible fungi; Forage plants
Description: "In the dark corners of America's forests grow culinary treasures. Chefs pay top dollar to showcase these elusive and beguiling ingredients on their menus. Whether dressing up a filet mignon with smoky morels or shaving luxurious white truffles over pasta, the most elegant restaurants across the country now feature an abundance of wild mushrooms. The mushroom hunters, by contrast, are a rough lot. They live in the wilderness and move with the seasons. Motivated by Gold Rush desires, they haul improbable quantities of fungi from the woods for cash. Langdon Cook embeds himself in this shadowy subculture, reporting from both rural fringes and big-city eateries with the flair of a novelist, uncovering along the way what might be the last gasp of frontier-style capitalism. Meet Doug, an ex-logger and crabber--now an itinerant mushroom picker trying to pay his bills and stay out of trouble; Jeremy, a former cook turned wild-food entrepreneur, crisscrossing the continent to build a business amid cutthroat competition; their friend Matt, an up-and-coming chef whose kitchen alchemy is turning heads; and the woman who inspires them all. Rich with the science and lore of edible fungi--from seductive chanterelles to exotic porcini--The Mushroom Hunters is equal parts gonzo travelogue and culinary history lesson, a rollicking, character-driven tour through a world that is by turns secretive, dangerous, and tragically American."--book jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 295-296)
Table of contents: title: Outlaws in Lobster Park; title: Among the recreationals; title: The circuit picker; title: Kings for a day; title: The buyer; title: New frontier; title: Autumn aroma; title: Winging it all the way; title: The discreet charm of the chanterelle; title: Ingredients as art; title: Sex, love, and truffles; title: Winter pick; title: Into the fire; title: A death in the family.