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Ws Historical Turkey Stuffing, Now Truffles
On 07 Nov 2003 12:25:47 GMT, (ASmith1946) wrote:
>I haven't researched this much, so if anyone has data re truffles in the US,
>do tell. As truufles only grow in Europe (don't they?), they would have to have
>been imported into the US and therefore would have been expensive.
>
>It seems extremely unlikely that two pounds of truffles would be used in the US
>in the latter half of the 19th century. So, was there some substitute (or
>adulteration) used -- perhaps a type of mushroom?
Try alt.nature.mushroom. A newsgroup totally devoted to fungi.
There are native truffles, or at least a variety or two of them.
There are now US grown truffles of the European strains, but the
plantations take a long time to get established, as they must be in
the midst of particular types of trees.
I'll get my mushroom book...
I found one truffle look-alike called Pisolithus Tinctorius that's
supposed to be edible (though the author says 'but unappealing') when
young, which is what green often means. It is found worldwide.
What social class would this stuffing have been made for? It's
possible that someone in the social class of the Astors or the
railroad barons or the Gold Rush rich could have afforded to import
the prized European truffles by the pound. It was a time of great
fortunes being made and spent. Otherwise I think we've got to go with
Pisolitus or some other look-alike There are a few others, but some
say, "eaten in Europe, but undetermined edibility in the US" or
"edibility not determined. Modern mushroom hunters are very cautious
compared to the old timers. Perhaps some of those are close enough in
flavour to the European ones that they were in use by those who knew
what they were cooking?
--
rbc:vixen,Minnow Goddess,Willow Watcher,and all that sort of thing.
Often taunted by trout.
Only a fool would refuse to believe in luck. Only a damn fool would rely on it.
http://www.visi.com/~cyli
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