Perros chicos mushrooms

[Laurie Woolever]

Editing recipes from recent trip to Spain, and one of the chefs (Carles Abellan of Comerc 24 and Tapac 24) has used mushrooms that were identified as 'perros chicos.' they are small, and the caps are quite rounded, so much that they almost look like chickpeas. Does anyone know of which I speak, and ideally, can you provide a Latin name?

As ever, thanks.

[David Crum]

Calocybe gambosa, que los vascos adoran y a la que llaman `perretxiko` ("perros chicos")

Calocybe Gambosa (latin name), which the Basques adore and call perretxiko ("perros chicos") I do not know if the author means that perros chicos is the direct or phonetical translation for perretxiko.

The calocybe gambosa mushroom is sold as St. George mushroom in english. Other Spanish names for this mushroom are:

Vascuence: Ziza (Baztán, Aézcoa, Basaburúa, Santesteban, Larraun) ; Perretxiko (general), Perrotxiko ; Udaberriko zizazuri, Usun (Roncalés); Maiatxako ziza en Torrano (Ergoiena); Ziza y Susa (Guipúzcoa) ; Susie (Bergara); Susa (Mondragón).

Aragones : Sisón (alto Gállego), Usón (norte de Zaragoza, Roncal, Hecho, etc), Muchilón, Muxerón, Mojardón

Rioja : Perrochico (general) ; Seta fina, Fina, Seda, Seta de primavera

Castilla : Mansarón, Lansarón (Sistema Ibérico por Soria y Burgos) ; Nazarón (Moncayo); Blanquilla (Palencia) ; Seta blanca (Cervera de Pisuerga) ; Seta fina, Seta de mayo, Seta del pecu, Seta de Cucu (norte de Burgos).

Otros : Seta de San Jorge

Cantabria : Cristianu, Hongu cristianu

Astur-leonés : Fungu del rayu, Seta l'rayu, Cucumiellu blancu

Catalán: Moixernó, Bolet de Sant Jordi ; Moixeró y Moixerró (Pirineo).

[pedro]

Exactly, perretxicos or perrechicos, but not "perros chicos."

[Laurie Woolever]

Thank you! I was getting the names verbally from a Catalan cook, translated through an Irish waitress. talk about lost in translation...

Thank you to you both.

[Culinista]

Aha, I knew it!! These must be also the mushrooms knowns as "prugnole" around Bologna. I had zizas in the Basque country and prugnole 3 weeks apart this spring, and I wondered if they were the same.

They have a lovely, haunting aroma. I can't believe I've never had them before. Giorgio, one of the waiters at da Amerigo in Savigno, took us hunting for them in the woods. They grow in a fairy ring.

We've had them raw on toast, as a garnish like shaved truffle, and scrambled in eggs. Yummy.

Edited June 1, 2006 by Culinista (log)

[butterfly]

They really don't look at all like chickpeas... more like a denser ordinary button mushroom. But the flavor and texture is entirely something else.

I come from a family of avid mushroom hunters and we found this mushroom in the US, but it didn't taste nearly as good as the ones that I have had in Spain... perhaps it was a slightly different variety. They come around the same time as morels (when the dogwoods bloom).

I believe the season will be ending soon here in Spain, right?

[Culinista]

They might resemble chickpeas if they were really small and still closed. We left the small ones and harvested only the open ones.

[vserna]

Mousseron in France.