Blackfella's Bread

M works in the Otways. He’s a lumberjack and he’s OK. While clearing what’s left of our old growth forests he stumbled upon this extraordinary fungus buried under the ground and he thought I might like to see it. M also fishes for snapper and despite his rather controversial profession is a food lover at heart. I had read about “Blackfella’s" Bread, seen photos but I have never tasted one. I emailed a picture to, and called Our Man at the Herbarium Tom May for a positive identification. I cannot stress too strongly the dangers of indiscriminate fungi tastings. Even with this unique specimen I wanted to be sure I had a positive identification and that it was safe. I had not spoken to Tom for a couple of years but he reassured me it was definitely Laccocephalum mylittae and sent an extract of his contribution to a new cookbook about to be published by the International Mycological Society….
In south-eastern Australia, few fungi have been recorded as eaten by Aboriginal people, perhaps through lack of the right questions being asked by mycophobic English settlers. One of the exceptions is Native Bread, the sclerotium of Laccocephalum mylittae, which is reported as being eaten across Victoria and Tasmania under a variety of names, such as the 'Boee Wan' of the Tjapwurong people of western Victoria (Kalotas, Fungi of Australia 1B). A polypore fruit-body is produced from the sclerotium after bushfires, at which time the sclerotium shrivels. The deeply buried sclerotia can reach 30 cm in diameter, and were detected by Aboriginal people by the smell of rotting wood associated with the fungus (which forms a brown rot). Nowadays sclerotia are typically found when recently cleared land is ploughed. They can be eaten raw or cooked, and have a rather bland flavour, like boiled rice. Nevertheless, Native Bread has been enjoyed by forest workers as a hearty meal around the campfire.

Now; what was I to do with it? It has the texture of a rubber ball, quite solid but slightly pliant and I decided to bake it whole in foil to see if really had any flavour. Well Tom was right, bland is a bit of an understatement but at least it was neutral nothing unpleasant. Salt did little to improve it, honey the same but somehow it gave you the impression that if you were to eat it all it would be very filling.
I guess if I was to follow the locavore path I could pair it with a couple of Barwon River Crayfish and the “bread” would be good to mop up the juices of its roe.

But the find was of some importance. There is a project based in the Royal Botanic Gardens Melbourne called the Australian Fungimap Project. It focuses on 100 target species of fungi that are being watched by professional and amateur mycologists to chart the habits of these extraordinary wonders of nature. This is one of the target species.
I fear that it will be a lean year for mushrooms due to the drought but never the less its always fun hunting.

Check out the site..link here http://www.anbg.gov.au/fungi/fungimap.html