Heston's 60s Feast

[Morchella]

Watched this earlier tonight, very good as usual but was intrigued when he said he was going to make a dish from a close relative of the magic mushroom that didn't contain any psychoactive compounds. What could this be?

Turned out to be Amanita caesarea. Now what on earth had Heston got in mind as a magic mushroom - fly agaric? (most likely) death cap?

[NickCantle]

We were watching it and I had the same nerdy thoughts Laura

I thought, must be a Fly Agaric- with the references to 'magic' being the muscarine!

P.S- Heston is amazing! Some absolutely stunning creations there!

[Chris Yeates]

Originally Posted by Morchella

Turned out to be Amanita caesarea.

probably the tastiest fungus I've ever had - found under Quercus coccifera way up in the hills of Corfu, far away from the tourists, and cooked by seriously-skilled culinary friends resident on the island (they have cooked for the Rothschilds) with the Albanian mountains fading in the far distance and good local wine to hand

that probably had a lot to do with it

confusingly the Romans called this "Boletus" following the "βωλιτης" of the great Claudius Galen of Pergamum . . . it was said that it was considered safer to send messengers with gold rather than with Boletus; it is also said that the distribution pattern northwards from its Mediterranean heartland follows Roman roads . . .

I'll get mi toga . . . .

Chris