Caesar's mushroom (Amanita caesarea), the "imperial" or "royal" mushroom, is the most prized edible member of the Amanita genus — a striking fungus with a brilliant orange-red cap, buttery-yellow gills and stalk, and a distinctive white cup (volva) at its base, gathered from warm oak and chestnut woodland around the Mediterranean. Where most of its close relatives are deadly, this one is celebrated: mild, sweet and nutty, firm-fleshed and faintly fruity, it was reputedly the favourite of Roman emperors and remains a coveted delicacy in Italy (ovolo, ovulo buono), southern France, Spain and the Balkans. The youngest specimens, still enclosed in their egg-like white sac, are eaten raw and sliced paper-thin in salads; older, opened caps are grilled, sautéed or slipped into risotto and pasta.