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Mushrooms curry favour in Tamil Nadu
by Jai Kumar

     Chennai: Mushrooms are central to culinary in rural part of Tamil Nadu. The Indian cookery has of late become experimental, trying to give platter a cross-cultural look. The recipes with mushroom as central ingredient have tickled the taste buds of the rural populace in the state. The villagers of Pathigoundanpatty in Krishnakri district can't stop craving for more. "We made Sambar by using Mushroom. It is very tasteful and delicious food, even better than chicken meat. This is anti-biotic food," said Sudharani, a villager. Its popularity has led to spurt in demand, pushing the prices up. However, the people continue to prefer it to the non-vegetarian dishes burning a hole into the pocket. "We grow groundnuts in the garden in between the mushroom crops. Due to Monsoon rains in the region, mushrooms also grow on own. We normally get three kilograms of mushroom every day. The price of it is about 100 rupees per kilogram. This variety is locally called Mottai Kalan," said Kottayan, another farmer. Mushrooms, popular food item of many Asian countries like China and Japan as well as Europe, are known for their rich fibre content besides vitamins and minerals including iron and potassium.
-Oct 23, 2008