Pioppino
Cyclocybe aegerita · Fungus
Top 10 pairings
The pioppino (Cyclocybe aegerita), also called the black poplar mushroom, velvet pioppini, swordbelt agaric or chestnut mushroom, is a clustered gourmet fungus with domed tan-to-chestnut caps on long, firm white-to-pale-brown stems. Prized in Italian and East Asian cooking, it is firm and crunchy with a deeply savoury, nutty, almost peppery taste that holds up to long cooking.
Picking a good onedrag
Domed, dry, cluster tightFlat, slick, gills weeping
Veil just splitEveryday bestThe all-rounder: ragù, braises, soups, anything long and savoury.
Cap surfaceDry and flat, colour faded to tan
GillsRing split, gills fawn to cinnamon
Stem and cut baseFirm still, cut base browned
SmellClean, earthy, mushroomy
Keeping ittap a temperature
A domestic fridge holds it about 5× longer than the counter.
95%, no free water
Humidity
Paper bag, never sealed
Airflow