Herb. No. 175 · Strophariaceae
Poplar and hardwood fungus of southern Europe, now a grocery cluster.
Native · Mediterranean · Europe
Native Also grownNow a garden plant worldwide
LegalGentlefungus
Pioppino
Cyclocybe aegerita
The poplar mushroom of Italian kitchens — a cultivated brown-capped cluster with a stem worth eating.
Pioppino (also velvet pioppini, black poplar mushroom) fruits on poplar and other hardwoods and is farmed on blocks. Traditional Mediterranean food. The stem is the prize, nutty and firm. Grow it from spawn. This plate is the cultivated species.
Flavor
Nutty, mildly farinaceous, a firmer bite than oyster. Stems are the point.
Parts used
Fruiting body
Helpful
- A kit crop
- Stems that can stand a pan
Cautions
- Wild lookalikes if you hunt poplar stumps without a name