Termitomyces schimperi? What is that again, most readers of this column will ask. I asked myself that too when I first heard the name! And this is what Wikipedia says: «Termitomyces Schimperi is an agaric mushroom that is predominantly associated with the termite species Macrotermes natalensis. The majority of the fungus is referred to as Omajowa by the Namibian tribes Hereo and Ovambo. The German Namibians usually simply call it termite mushroom.» If you want to know more about this mushroom, just click here.

When I saw the mushroom for the first time, I was even more amazed than at the name. That was with Ecky, who got one as a gift and prepared it in the pan that evening. Before he did so, he gave me a piece of it to eat raw. «Can you eat it like this?» I asked him. «Try it», he said! And indeed: the mushroom tasted delicious. It grows near termite mounds and only appears when there is enough rain. Then the Termitomyces Schimperi shoot out of the ground to the delight of humans and animals. (Better to harvest them before the warthogs do!)

PS. Tonight Brigitta is preparing one of these giant mushrooms that we received as a gift for dinner. (This as information and in case you don’t hear from me anymore!)