Hedgehog fungus. Cream-coloured mushrooms, excellent to eat, easily found in woods from late summer to late autumn (US: fall). They have a sort of downy white stem leading up to a cap which is centrally depressed and under which are masses of little spines, giving the mushroom its English name. It is quite a good mushroom to collect as it is easily distinguished from other mushrooms, is a relative of the chanterelle, and, like it, has good flavour and good retention of texture on long cooking.
Agar agar. A gelatine-like product which is extracted from a brownish-white seaweed with thorny projections called tengusa. It is a useful vegetarian alternative to gelatine. It is dried in the sun and then boiled creating a viscous substance which is sold after processing into thin, transparent, white sheets. When dissolved in water it cools to a jelly. It has a great capacity for absorbing liquid. It is available in other forms, of which the most common are bar and powder. Agar-agar sets quickly and does not melt at room temperature. It is used by the Japanese in soups and confections, by the Chinese in yokan and the food industry in everything. It is represented by E406.
