Chanterelle

Also Girolle, Pfifferling

The lovely chanterelle mushroom, pretty as its name, cannot be cultivated, only gathered—in this country, usually from the wilds of the Pacific Northwest and a few places on the East Coast. Although there are numerous délectables in the family of Cantharellaceae—most notably the black trumpet (Craterellus fallax) and white chanterelle (Cantharellus subalbidus)—it is the apricot-gold-to-orange variety shaped like a trumpet flower (usually called simply “chanterelle”) that is most commonly marketed here. While the succès fou of the delightful fungus is relatively recent here, the chanterelle has long been a European favorite. As a matter of fact, we export a vast quantity to Europe, a good percentage of which returns to our country expensively and less than deliciously canned and dried. Fresh mushrooms, however, are predictably tasty—although you cannot always tell what the taste will be. There is enormous variation in flavor (and size) among chanterelles from different locations: they can range from pleasantly mild and meaty to flowery, nutty, and softly cinnamony.