Piopparello, Pioppino

This is as common as the honey fungus and is enjoyed all over Italy, but especially in the south. It appears in the early spring and late autumn on tree stumps of all types of tree, but especially the poplar and willow. Its flat head changes from brown to beige, but has a little more colouring in the middle. It is carried on a long thin stem with a whitish ring around it. The beige gills are tightly packed and darken with age. It grows in groups called famigliole (small families) and so is easy to collect and clean on the spot by cutting off three-quarters of the fibrous stem. The piopparello has recently been cultivated, so it can be found on sale all year round. These look very pretty in the market as the little heads are still closed and dark brown, but they lack the flavour of the wild variety.