Fungus Among Us
January 16th, 2007 by Annette
Ew, fungus! The word might conjure itchy gym-worn feet or that black mold growing in the shower. Or what about mildew, slimemolds, water molds, and all of those other nasty little things? But you might also be surprised that the lowly term “fungus” includes tasty treats as well.
What is fungus, anyway?
Fungi are neither plant nor animal, 
reproduce by sporulation, and include the likes of molds & mildews, yeasts and mushrooms. Fungi feed themselves by breaking down organic matter and in turn help other organisms to flourish by doing so. For instance, many mushrooms are “wood rotters”, ie, they are often found growing on either dying or dead trees or branches and essentially break down the wood to make its components biologically available to other organisms. Yeasts, too, serve a similar purpose: they digest carbon-rich sugars and turn them ultimately into ethanol, carbon dioxide and heat through a number of very complicated biochemical processes. With wine or beer, fortunately enough, we have learned how to harness the potential of yeasts and then to preserve the resulting product to create enjoyable and tasty beverages (in nature, if left on it’s own, ethanol would quickly break down, with the help of bacteria, into, among other things, acetic acid, aka “vinegar”.)Â
Coincidentally, wild mushrooms and pinot noir for me are one of the highlights of winter. Together they are classic pair made in the sitting room of the organoleptic matchmaker: the earthiness of the mushroom and the richness it lends to a dish (cream of mushroom soup, beef stroganoff, mushroom & cheese crepes…..) is perfect for an earthy, fruity pinot with the acidity to balance all the flavors on the palate.Â
For more information about various mushrooms and their properties visit:Â MykoWeb
Click Here for more information about our January 31st winemaker’s — and wild mushroom — dinner at Grasing’s in Carmel
Â
Â
- Posted in Food & Wine, Wine Appreciation
- Comments Off
Comments are closed.