Dec. 30th, 2008 03:39 pm
"Es diferente"
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muckefuckI don't know why I have so much trouble remembering the gender of the common Spanish word for "mushroom". It's a straighforward derivative of Latin fungus, a ordinary second-declension masculine, so this should be a no-brainer, but of course there's isn't really time in the flow of a conversation to derive everything from first principles. Perhaps I'm simply too influenced by Catalan, where a mushroom is never simply a bolet; there's always a more specific term available--in this case, xampinyó--and the Catalans are mycomane enough to use them freely. Of course, champiñón exists in Spanish as well, but whenever I use it, the Latin Americans give me a blank look of incomprehension.
Carlos el Peruano always seems to understand me whether I order "hongos" or "hongas", but I said the latter today and baffled El Chilango so badly he resorted to English. "I don't know what they call them in Peru", he said, "pero en México dicimos 'hongos'". I was a bit bewildered myself, since I didn't think the Peruvians called them anything but "hongos" either. This sparked a little chat about differences between various varieties of Spanish and he eventually asked me, "¿Dónde aprendió Usted español?" Again I was taken aback, because I thought I'd explained already that I learned it in the USA, but that I had more exposure to Castilian Spanish than other varieties.
When he heard that, he broke into a smile and said, "¡Vale!" Carlos was listening in and added "¡Ostias!" and "¡Joder!" It turns out that he has friends from back home who are living in Castelló de la Plana, which he hopes to visit some day. Should've teased him about learning a little valencià first!
Carlos el Peruano always seems to understand me whether I order "hongos" or "hongas", but I said the latter today and baffled El Chilango so badly he resorted to English. "I don't know what they call them in Peru", he said, "pero en México dicimos 'hongos'". I was a bit bewildered myself, since I didn't think the Peruvians called them anything but "hongos" either. This sparked a little chat about differences between various varieties of Spanish and he eventually asked me, "¿Dónde aprendió Usted español?" Again I was taken aback, because I thought I'd explained already that I learned it in the USA, but that I had more exposure to Castilian Spanish than other varieties.
When he heard that, he broke into a smile and said, "¡Vale!" Carlos was listening in and added "¡Ostias!" and "¡Joder!" It turns out that he has friends from back home who are living in Castelló de la Plana, which he hopes to visit some day. Should've teased him about learning a little valencià first!
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With all the explosion of the super chefs, now everybody knows what a "boletus" is!
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I just had a look at my favourite Spanish cookbook and found only champiñones and setas.
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You see, even TV3 had a tv program called "caçadors de bolets" because it's almost a religion!
* Setas = Bolets = Any type of mushrooms
* Champiñón = Xampinyó = The cheapo white mushroom (champignon de paris. Remarkably, champignon in french is mushroom)
* Níscalo = Rovelló (our most famous mushroom)
* Boletus (Boletus edulis, a fashionable expensive thing all super chefs use)
* Moixernons: I just know this one in Catalan. it's used for lots of stews in dried form.
* Setas de cardo: Cheapo (1.5 euros for 2 side rations) níscalo white knock off, but it really tastes good and it's easily found, as it's harvested.
* Amanita muscaria (toxic)
* Pie de rey
Remarkably some chefs have also used "hongos" when they refer to very small wild mushrooms such as pie de rey.
There are so many varieties. I think that the Basques and the Catalans might be the largest mushroom eaters in the world (I might be exaggerating a little).
Remarkably, Italy's most appreciated mushrooms, the funghi porcini, aren't too famous, although you can find them.
Have you ever visited the Boqueria in autumn? It's mushroom orgy
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Moixernons might be similar to the wood ears or pine mushrooms we get from Asian shops here. Speaking of Asian mushrooms, shiitakes are becoming as ubiquitous as button mushrooms (champignons) around here.
I'm surprised to see you haven't mentioned múrgoles (a.k.a. morels)! I'm also a huge fans of chantarelles (a.k.a. rossinyols). We've recently found a good purveyor for them and I can't wait for the season to roll around again.
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I was getting hungry just writing about that.
Ah, you can tell how many times I've eaten fughi porcini!
Good that you're a fellow mushroom lover!
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