Brexit and Mushrooms

Toadstools is a British word for suspect mushrooms. In the 5th Century, Germanic tribes, migrating from northern Germany, brought the rather unappetizing word with them to an island yet to be named England. In the Netherlands, the Frisians still use a variation of the same word: poddestoel while their Dutch-speaking compatriots say paddestoel but neither of these terms carry a negative connotation like in English.

Are the Brits mycophobic?

After their conquest of England in 1066, the Normans imported the term mouceron, soon to become mushroom. However, this term was reserved for edible species only. The original Anglo-Saxon term became more or less confined to witchcraft, while scholars used the Latin term fungus. Today, mushrooms are defined as the fruiting bodies of fungi that emerge from soil or trees, particularly those that are eaten for pleasure.

Stimulated by continental migration, the U.K. has seen the passion for picking and cooking mushrooms rise over the past few decades.

With Brexit will we see a return to the scary toadstool of yore?

Whatever happens on the geopolitical scene, rest assured that you will always find your fresh, dried, or frozen mushrooms right here at the Mycoboutique.