Mushrooms in antiquity and Ancient Rome

[guy]

 

The article below about the use of mushrooms in antiquity made me think of Ötzi (pictured above) who lived 5300 years ago and whose mummified remains were found in 1991 on the Alps between Italy and Austria.

 

https://www.theglobalist.com/mushrooms-from-ancient-foraging-to-modern-obsession/

 

Ötzi was found with two types of fungi. One fungus found was Fomes fomentarius (the tinder fungus or hoof fungus), which he carried as processed amadou for fire‑starting and ember transport. Also found was Fomitopsis betulina (the birch polypore), likely used for its medicinal and anti‑parasitic properties. Both fungi were found among his equipment.

 

The Romans ate porcini, which they called boleti, a category that included Boletus edulis (modern porcini) and closely related species. Roman writers like Pliny and Apicius describe them as prized, rich, and luxurious mushrooms.

They also ate truffles, which Roman authors such as Juvenal and Pliny describe as elite delicacies associated with wealth, aphrodisiac qualities, and extravagant banquets. Both porcini‑type boletes and truffles were staples of high‑status Roman cuisine, alongside Amanita caesarea and morels.

According to the major Roman historians, Claudius was killed in AD 54 by a dish of poisoned mushrooms, almost certainly boleti. The plot was widely attributed to his wife Agrippina the Younger, who wanted her son Nero to succeed Claudius before Claudius’s own son Britannicus came of age. 

Edited 5 hours ago by guy