Hedgehog mushrooms, yellow tooth mushrooms, sweet tooth, pig’s trotter
pied de mouton (French)
(Hydnum repandumand Dentinum repandum)
The hedgehog mushroom looks like a large chanterelle. The underside of the cap has a shredded appearance, like a tiny shag carpet. The flesh is firm and dense, and is quite delicious in soups or stews. Other members of the tooth fungus family (Hydnaceae) may have spines, soft and long enough to be called beards, waterfalls, or fur. The tiny stalactites of the hedgehog mushroom are barely visible, but enough to elicit the name of hedgehog. The colour is buff to tawny, with paler stems. It is collected in the wild in North America, Europe, and China, but not cultivated. When cooked, it tastes like a chanterelle blended with cultivated button and oyster mushrooms, but having none of the sweetness, dispelling the inviting name of “sweet tooth”. In fact, the mushroom’s tendency towards bitterness usually dissipates with simmering and a touch of sugar.
