The chicken mushroom, known as the "king of mushrooms", is unforgettable to Xu Xiake and Li Shizhen!

Termitomyces albuminosus is a fungus that lives in symbiosis with termites. As one of the edible wild mushrooms, it mainly grows in mountainous areas with an altitude of 1,000-3,000 meters. It is commonly found on the ground in coniferous and broad-leaved forests, wasteland, and corn fields. It is known as the "king of fungi." In China, the records and cultural origins of Termitomyces albuminosus can be traced back to more than 2,000 years ago. This article will take you through ancient and modern times to explore the unique status of Termitomyces albuminosus in different cultural periods.

More than two thousand years ago, the book Zhuangzi recorded: "Morning mushrooms are unknown at the beginning and end of the full moon", which mentioned that people in Yunnan Province ate chicken mushrooms.

During the Ming Dynasty, Li Shizhen recorded in Compendium of Materia Medica that "Chicken mushrooms, which are called chicken mushrooms by southerners, all say that they taste similar to chicken mushrooms. Chicken mushrooms come from Yunnan, grow in sandy land, and are small mushrooms. They have high-legged umbrella heads, and the locals pick and dry them and send them to distant places to make prescriptions. They are suitable for making tea and cooking meat, and their smell is like fragrant mushrooms." Pan Zhiheng recorded the special flavor of chicken mushrooms in Guangjunpu. Xu Xiake, a great traveler in the Ming Dynasty, recorded eating chicken mushrooms several times in his diary "Yunnan Travel Diary" of Xu Xiake's Travel Notes. For example, outside the east gate of Luoping, Qujing, Xu Xiake recorded eating "smoked chicken mushrooms." "Mu Wuhua Sending Chicken Mushrooms" records that Yang Sheng'an, the top scholar in the Jinke, was exiled to Baoshan, Yunnan. On the way, he ate chicken mushrooms and wrote a poem, "The wind on the sea blew the jade mushrooms, and the woodcutter was asleep and didn't know it. The immortal lived near Huayang Cave and was given one or two branches of Qiongying."

In the Qing Dynasty, Cao Shuqiao recorded in "Southern Yunnan Magazine" that "the locals salt and dry it, and it can be eaten all year round; if the liquid is boiled into oil and replaced with soybean sauce, the taste is excellent, rich, fresh and delicious, and it overflows into the throat and tongue. It is a top-quality product in central Yunnan." The article describes the oily chicken mushroom that is eaten daily. When Zhao Yi, a famous scholar in the Qing Dynasty, ate chicken mushroom for the first time after entering Yunnan, he praised it highly, saying, "The gourmets are amazed, what kind of chicken is this?" Jia Jie wrote a poem "Chicken Mushroom": "The best taste is often unseen, the wild mushrooms are covered with snow. The stems grow vigorously from the new rain, and the fragrance is plump from late spring. The fresh and tender first season is blooming, and the fat nine-section cattail is growing. The autumn wind is green and the guests are green, and the food is not listed here." Xie Jiuge also wrote a poem: "The mushrooms are fragrant and rainy, and the strange smell is heard in the miasma. The snow ribs should be hard to discard, and the mulberry and goose are fragrant. The roots are mostly coiled in ant holes, and the name is not out of the chicken group. The buds are different vegetables and bamboo shoots, and the taro is covered with green clouds." Aying, a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, recorded in "Travel in Yunnan": "Xizong only let the eunuch Wei Zhongxian taste the chicken mushroom, and even Empress Zhang could not taste it. Because this chicken mushroom is hard to come by, it has to be delivered to the capital by the post station, which is similar to Yang Guifei's love of fresh lychees." The Book of Guizhou states that the chicken mushroom grows in shallow grass in July in autumn. When it first grows, it is like a hat, then gradually like a cover. As time goes by, it spreads out like chicken feathers, so it is called a pine. The chicken mushroom in the lower volume of the Book of Guizhou states that "the chicken mushrooms in Yunnan and Guizhou have long been popular in Central China." "Yongchang and Mengzi are the best in Yunnan, while Puding in Guizhou produces them, but they are not as delicious as those in Yunnan." The Guangxu magazine Yongchang Prefecture Records states that "chicken mushrooms are a genus of fungi. They are found everywhere in Yunnan Province, but Yongping in Yong County has the most of them. They grow in sandy soil after heavy thunderstorms in June and July, or under pines, or in forests. Fresh ones have many insects, and some are poisonous. Some say there are ant holes under them. They should be picked one day after being unearthed. They will rot after five days, and the fragrance will decrease after one day after being picked. The locals salt and jerky them, and they can be eaten for years. If the liquid is boiled into oil and used instead of soy sauce, the taste is particularly good, rich, fresh and beautiful, and overflowing between the throat and tongue, it is a good product in Central Yunnan."

Alpinia ternifolia is not only a delicious wild mushroom, but also a shining pearl in the treasure house of Chinese culture. From ancient documents to Qing Dynasty poetry, Alpinia ternifolia has been running through the long river of Chinese history with its unique charm, carrying rich cultural connotations and emotional sustenance. In modern society, Alpinia ternifolia is still loved and sought after by people, and continues to play a unique role in cultural inheritance and exchange.

References: 1. Dongchuan published "Chicken Mushroom Words"; 2. Kaiping News Network "In-depth | Yunnan wild mushrooms are on the market, it is important to eat "God's food" correctly!"; 3. Publicity Center of the State Forestry Administration "Yunnan wild mushrooms are not only delicious"; 4. Qilin Media "[Cool Qujing Summer Resort] Eat in Qilin | Sichuan cuisine and Yunnan cuisine are both southwestern Jianghu cuisine"; 5. Qujing Daily Palm Qujing "Xu Xiake and Yunnan's Chicken Mushroom"; 6. China Edible Fungi Association "You can eat meat without chicken mushrooms on the plate"