Mushrooms

Because of the great interest today in exotic mushrooms, and because eating some poisonous species of wild mushroom can be fatal, it is important for the cook to be familiar with at least the most popular varieties of exotic mushrooms, both cultivated and wild.

Although hundreds of mushroom varieties are edible, until recently only the common cultivated button mushroom was used with any frequency in most commercial kitchens. Now, however, many varieties are available. Some of these mushrooms, especially the wild ones, are expensive, but the demand always seems to exceed the supply.