The mushroom and it's documented connection to man dates back as far as the ancient Egyptians to 2500 BC ... with various references to mushrooms in their heiroglyphics. They were decreed as 'food for royalty' ... off limits to the mere commoner. They were the focus of cultural rituals in the fartheset corners of the world ... including Russia, China, Greece, Mexico, and Latin America. There are many who believe the use and consumption of mushrooms dates back as far as 5000 to 7000 years ago. They were often attributed w/ special properties that provided for unusual levels of strength ... the finding of lost objects ... immortality ... and connecting the soul to the world of the gods.
The mushroom is neither an animal, a plant, a vegatable, or a fruit. It is actually a fungus from a subdivision of the fungi family of Basidiomycotina (of the class Hymenomycetes). The main body is subterranean, or lives on dead trees and living tree roots and can vary in size from a few inches to several miles wide. When they absorb a large amount of water, they can grow amazingly fast. The word mushroom is derived from the Gallo-Roman 'mussiro' ... which evolved to 'mussereroun in middle English. There are over two thousand types of mushrooms, but only 2 ½ - 5 % are edible. The rest are highly poisonous and can masquerade as the edible ones.
Edible mushrooms include many fungal species that are either harvested wild or cultivated. The first believed cultivators of mushrooms occurs in France during Louis XIV's reign (1643-1715). These early efforts of mushroom cultivation spread quickly to England ... and in the 19th century spread to America. The first book on mushroom cultivation appeared in 1891 written by William Falconer ... and titled 'Mushrooms: How to Grow Them: A Practical Treatise on Mushroom Culture for Profit and Pleasure (19th century books obviously had long titles). Foraging for wild mushrooms is risky, but can result in a tasty prize. Professional foragers usually search for truffles (with pigs and dogs), but Porcinis, Morels, Matsutakes, Hen of the Woods, and many more can be spotted at local farmer’s markets and in catalogs. In Michigan and Canada, amateurs compete to find Morels at festivals that celebrate the rare jewel. There are lots of resources and field guides to help the average person hunt edible mushrooms, but “mushrooming” as it is called, is best when done with an expert.
A significant advance in mushroom cultivation occurred when the U.S. Dept of Agriculture developed alternatives to English spawn that suffered from poor quality. In 1903 ... following a long series of attempts at perfecting a reproducable process ... USDA scientists developed a perfect virgin spawn. By 1914 there was over four million pounds of mushrooms grown in the U.S. ... with various regions dominating the industry ... including the largest center of mushroom production ... southeastern Pennsylvania ... w/ over 80% of the countries crop sourcing from there in 1924. Prior to 1940 ... the predominant variety was known as the 'Italian Brown' ... now known as the 'Crimini'. Today ... many varities are commonly available ... including but not limited to the shiitake, enoki, oyster, morels, cepes, chanterelles, and the truffle. There were many organizations formed for the purpose of promoting the cultivation and consumption of mushrooms including The American Mushroom Institute ... The National Mushroom Growers Assoc ... and The Mushroom Council. Currently mushrooms are produced commercially in nearly every state ... with Pennsylvania still representing over 40% of the total U.S. output ... reaching over 800 million pounds. Sources: http://www.foodreference.com/html/art-mush-history417.html and http://www.starchefs.com/features/mushrooms/html/more_mushrooms.shtml