Trompettes-des-Morts/horn
of plenty
Greyish-black
mushrooms with a soft funnel-like cap and virtually no gills. Not being
very fleshy, they are fragile. Also delicate in taste, they are sautéed
and used in sauces, sometimes to give an illusion of truffles.
Pied
Bleu/wood blewit
Mushrooms
ranging in colour from lilac to violet to buff; the initially convex cap
curls up to expose the gills. Their thick moist flesh is excellent to
eat, but must be cooked to lose its mild toxicity.
Pied
de Mouton/hedgehog fungus
Mushrooms
distinguished by the spices pointing downwards from the underside of the
yellowish cap. Fleshy and firm, they taste similar to chanterelles;
their slight bitterness disappears on cooking. Nameko
Tiny
mushrooms distinguished by the slimy coating on their rounded
amber-coloured caps and paler long curved stems. Extensively used in
Japanese cooking, especially in miso soup, they have a gelatinous
texture, and a light, aromatic flavour.
Girolles/chanterelles
Small
mushrooms, shaped like a curved funnel with irregular, vein-like gills,
and a colour and aroma of apricots. Edible raw, their relatively tough
flesh tastes pepper. Cooked, they complement eggs.
Truffle
Fungal
fruiting bodies which develop underground. Irregularly roundish, with
solid, brittle white veined flesh, they emit an intense permeating
aroma. Black, Perigord, truffles (depicted) withy tough warty black
skin, are usually cooked, peeled. Smooth beige White, or Alba, truffles
are typically shaved raw over food, heat spoiling their more delicate
flavour. 
Porcini/cep/cèpe
Prized
mushrooms characterized by having tubes rather than gills under their
burnished brown caps. Shaped like a champagne cork, with a delicate,
musty aroma, their firm succulent white flesh is eaten raw, thinly
sliced, and cooked. Grilled and in stews.
Pom
pom/lion’s mane
Spherical
mushrooms characterized by long, soft white spines and no stems. With a
mild sweet flavour and a delicate texture compared to crab meat, it is
generally gently cooked. 
Oyster
mushrooms/pleurote
Mushrooms
shaped like a fluted oyster shell ranging in colour from white to beige,
pin or yellow. Their subtly flavoured, soft, succulent flesh is best
cooked quickly. When large, they are called ‘abalone mushrooms.’
Portobello
mushrooms
Large,
flat, dark brown mushrooms with fully exposed gills; actually mature
crimini mushrooms. They have a dense, meaty texture and concentrated
flavour. Their size makes them suitable for grilling and roasting,
whole.
Shiitake/golden
oak/Chinese black
Umbrella-shaped
mushrooms with brown caps fissured with white, and torn, cream gills. Of
Japanese origin, they have an earthy fragrance, a meaty texture and a
rich woodsy flavour. Best cooked, their tough stems first removed, they
suit all cooking styles.
Dried
chanterelles/girolles
Chanterelles/girolles
mushrooms from which the moisture has been removed, leaving them dry,
brittle and much reduced in size. Rehydrated, they retain their apricot
colour but are rubbery in texture and relatively tasteless. The infused
soaking liquid may be more useful.
Brown/crimini
mushrooms
Umbrella-shaped
mushrooms with a tan to dark brown cap. They have a deeper earthier
flavour than the closely related white mushroom. With firm flesh, they
hold their shape well when cooked. 
White
mushrooms
Common
white-capped mushrooms. At progressive stages of maturity, becoming
denser in texture and stronger in flavour, they are: ‘button’
(depicted), closed around the stem and usually small; ‘cup’, the
veil just begun to open around the stem and ‘flat’, open with dark
gills.
