{"id":39182,"date":"2023-09-21T16:47:55","date_gmt":"2023-09-21T15:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.estournel.com\/dans-le-medoc-nous-avons-des-terres-parfumees\/"},"modified":"2023-10-05T15:56:20","modified_gmt":"2023-10-05T14:56:20","slug":"we-have-fragrant-land","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.estournel.com\/en\/home\/cos-chronicle\/we-have-fragrant-land\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00ab We have fragrant land! \u00bb"},"content":{"rendered":"

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C<\/span>hanterelle, porcini, wood blewit, and milk-cap mushrooms\u2026 The season for mushrooms has begun! No\u00ebl Benharoun, devotee and expert of wild mushrooms of the M\u00e9doc and founder of M\u00e9doc Champignons, reveals the secrets of his trade. <\/span><\/p>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”39089″ img_size=”550×750″ add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1695631446714{padding-top: 20px !important;}”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”How did your passion for mushrooms begin?” font_container=”tag:h5|font_size:19|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” el_class=”pink-color”][vc_column_text el_class=”custom-intro”]It comes from my father, who was very good at picking mushrooms. I have never found as many mushrooms as with him! He had a shop with a bar in our village in the countryside. When we had free time, we would go hunting for mushrooms.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”How did it occur to you to transform this hobby into a professional pursuit?” font_container=”tag:h5|font_size:19|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” el_class=”pink-color”][vc_column_text]The creation of M\u00e9doc Champignons happened partly by chance. At our bar, we used to employ a lot of young people who were seasonal workers. In September, they picked mushrooms and sold them to wholesalers in Bordeaux. That\u2019s how M\u00e9doc Champignons began: I offered to buy their mushrooms and sell them directly to my friends and acquaintances in the restaurant business. This allowed me to pay the mushroom pickers better and deliver impeccably fresh products to restaurants without any intermediaries.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”How do you organize mushroom collecting today? ” font_container=”tag:h5|font_size:19|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” el_class=”pink-color”][vc_column_text]I have a network of extremely loyal pickers with whom we have a relationship built on confidence and respect. Among them are enthusiasts, individuals who harvest mushrooms on their own land, and others who are seeking an additional source of revenue. It\u2019s farm to table. The mushrooms don\u2019t have to wait four or five days in refrigerators, so they don\u2019t lose texture or flavor. Our mushrooms are in the kitchens the day after they are picked!<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”fadeInDown”][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”Given the rising popularity of plant-based cuisine, there must be a good deal of interest in mushrooms?” font_container=”tag:h5|font_size:19|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” el_class=”pink-color”][vc_column_text]Definitely! Demand really accelerated some two or three years ago. I receive many requests, especially since I offer local mushrooms and chefs are increasingly wanting to work with products from their region.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”Would you say the M\u00e9doc is an excellent terroir for mushrooms? ” font_container=”tag:h5|font_size:19|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” el_class=”pink-color”][vc_column_text]We have fragrant land! In the M\u00e9doc you can find a diversity of mushrooms and a diversity of expressions within a single species. There is, for example, a huge difference between the scent of porcini mushrooms that grow in peat, those that thrive in the swamps near Montalivet, and those that prosper in the drier soils around Listrac. In the same way, chanterelles from the coastal dunes are superior to those that grow in the forest: because their environment is less fertile, they are firmer and have a stronger scent. We have even begun seeing restaurants write \u201cM\u00e9doc chanterelles\u201d on their menus!<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_single_image image=”39155″ img_size=”650×450″ add_caption=”yes” alignment=”center” css=”.vc_custom_1695724206252{padding-top: 20px !important;}”][vc_custom_heading text=”What is the impact of global warming on mushrooms?” font_container=”tag:h5|font_size:19|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” el_class=”pink-color”][vc_column_text]Mushrooms are not cultivated crops. We are completely dependent on nature, and mushrooms only grow under ideal conditions. The impact of global warming is difficult to measure. It varies by species, even if heatwaves are not good for mushrooms in general: last year, our porcini and chanterelle harvests were very much impacted. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_custom_heading text=”At Christmas, how do you like your mushrooms? ” font_container=”tag:h5|font_size:19|text_align:left” use_theme_fonts=”yes” el_class=”pink-color”][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n

I like all mushrooms as long as they are cooked well. If I had to pick a favorite, it would be the chanterelle, prepared simply and served with potatoes. It\u2019s a rustic dish, something my mother would make.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Meet No\u00ebl Benharoun, La Maison d\u2019Estournel\u2019s supplier of wild mushrooms.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":160,"featured_media":39157,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[132,140],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regards-dailleurs","category-article"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t