Belarus: Black trumpet mushrooms

What made this time’s “mushroom hunt” different was finding black trumpet mushrooms for the first time in my life in Belarus. Black trumpets or trompette de la mort in French, and trombetta dei morti in Italian (both – trumpet of the dead”, or “horns of plenty” are considered second most gourmet mushrooms in Europe after truffles, and I had tried them in dishes in France several times. They are not known in Belarus or Eastern Europe. Latin name of the mushroom is Craterellus cornucopioides. It has an incredible smoky and strong flavor and is very easy to cook, requiring just 10 minutes of sautéing and that’s it! The flavor improves even more in dried mushrooms. According to a Portuguese study, 100g of dried black horns contain 69g of protein, 14g of carbohydrates (mostly mannitol, a sugar alcohol) and 5g of fat, amounting to 378 calories. They contain fatty acids, primarily of the polyunsaturated variety, as well as phenols, flavonoids and 87 mg of vitamin C.
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