Champignon de Paris #MRTNotes

Monday, 18 March 2024, 0815
Soundtrack: Paris - Symon

Last evening, as we were discussing about the best food pairings with raclette, my partner introduced me to a type of mushroom called Champignon de Paris, or just Parisian mushrooms.

I know, we talk an awful lot about food, and even more so during Ramadan. Because we cannot consume them. Duh.

After much snooping and reading, I was finally convinced that Parisian mushrooms were not a euphemism for drugs. They were actual mushrooms, grown in the Catacombs of Paris. How frikkin metal is that? Mushrooms grown right in the Catacombs! You know what else are in the Catacombs? SKELETONS!

Unfortunately, they were an obstruction during the construction of the metro lines. Hence, they are now grown in underground tunnels in Saumur due to the relatively high humidity and cool temperatures not exceeding 15°C. Also, there is a whole Museum of Mushrooms there.

(Insert "Museum of Mushrooms" in my bucket list) 📝

By the way, spoiler alert! They are just button mushrooms.

But I was intrigued. How did this come about? How did the farmers decide to grow mushrooms in the world's biggest graveyard? Was it just a happy accident?

I joked to my partner, "Are we just eating parts of dead people when we eat mushrooms grown in the catacombs?"

To which he replied: "Perhaps."

Ah, the circle of life.