PORTEVIN (G.) What You Need to Know to Eat the Right Mushroo - Lot 261

PORTEVIN (G.) What You Need to Know to Eat the Right Mushrooms. A Guide to Edible Mushrooms. 101 Recipes. Two color plates depicting deadly and poisonous mushrooms. New edition. Paris, Lechevalier, 1948. In-12, paperback, printed cover. A charming practical guide devoted to the art of identifying, preparing, and eating edible mushrooms, written by mycologist and popular science writer G. Portevin. Intended for both amateurs and experienced foragers alike, this book serves as a comprehensive guide to mushroom foraging, combining identification tips, safety recommendations, and numerous observations drawn from field experience. This edition includes two color plates depicting the main deadly and poisonous species, designed to facilitate their identification and prevent the most dangerous mix-ups. It is also enriched with 101 culinary recipes that allow readers to enjoy the various edible species according to the gastronomic customs of the time, a valuable testament to the place that mushroom foraging held in French rural and bourgeois customs at the time. Published by the scientific bookstore Lechevalier, which specialized in works on the natural sciences, this small volume perfectly illustrates the rise of popular mycology during the first half of the 20th century. It remains highly sought after today by both lovers of traditional gastronomy and collectors of works on botany and mycology. An interesting bibliographic reference for the history of popular mycology and mushroom cuisine in France.