Les Champignons!

A little fungus with a big impact.

Le Champignon; The mushroom

What are they?How have they been used?How did France become a leader in the industry?What role did they play in the shaping of a nation?

Video Time!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9jbop_les-champignons_school#rel-page-1

Mycology

• The study of mushrooms and fungus

What are they?

Mushrooms are a fungus, some are edible, some are not.

Nom

• Mushrooms eat toxins and get eaten.

• Fresh soil from squirrel droppings.

• Fruit of the ground!

Mischievous Mushrooms

The storyEvil spirits bring them about!

Witches in my town!

Elixir in the middle east

The realityRapid growth is due to natural causes.Infected Rye

Alcohol

Medicinal

Cooking

There are 3,000 types of mushrooms in France

Hundreds of cookbooks are dedicated to cooking with mushrooms

Code Civil

• Law passed in 1989 to protect cultivation.

• Mushrooms must be a certain size before being picked so that they have a chance to release their spores

• Tools of any sort are forbidden with the exception of knives

• A knife must be used to cut the stipe so as not to damage the mycelia

• Mushrooms must be carried in a wicker basket to let the spores fall out and help propagation

Louis XIVLa Cave des Roches

Food for Kings

Paris caves

La Cave des Roche

• Original mushroom cultivation site!

• Horsepoop fit for a king.

Coming to America

Louis F. Lambert

U.S. industry booms.

Importance of Spawns

The dark side of the cap

TrufflesThere are 2 types of truffles.Only the black one is ever cooked.

From Gourmet to UndergroundCurrently the going rate for a pound of black truffles is between $1,000- $3,000

While white truffles go for anything between $2,200- $4,300

Japanese

Cultivation is nearly impossible anywhere but France

Japanese try to grow them and soak them in the oil of French truffles to give them fragrance.

All white truffles are tested for veracity.

Economic effects

Housewives made money.

Florists doubled income.

Restaurants became well known.

Baskets makers.

Santa!

The French Paradox

Some Other Famous Shrooms

Bibliography!• Hudler, George W. Magical Mushrooms, Mischievous Molds.

Princeton, NJ: Princeton UP, 2000. Print.• "History and Background | Mushroom Info." Fresh

Mushrooms - Nature's Hidden Treasure. Web. 06 Dec. 2011. <http://mushroominfo.com/history-and-background/>.

• "Planet Earth." Planet Earth. DISC. DISC. Television.