Djondjon

{{Short description|Haitian edible black mushroom}} '''Djondjon''' (also spelled djon djon or djon-djon) is the common name for black edible mushrooms used as a delicacy in some Haitian dishes, such as diri djondjon. The name djondjon does not refer to a single species of mushroom, but is rather a colloquial name for a group of several edible, taxonomically distinct species. However, some researchers suggest that the most common species is ''Psathyrella'' ''cf.'' ''hymenocephala''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last=Paul |first=Alexandra |last2=Akers |first2=Brian |date=2000-11-01 |title=Use of Psathyrella cf. hymenocephala (Coprinaceae) as a spice in Haiti |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0269915X00800324 |journal=Mycologist |language=en |volume=14 |issue=4 |pages=161–164 |doi=10.1016/S0269-915X(00)80032-4 |issn=0269-915X|url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref name="inoculum" /> Species from ''Cantharellus'' and ''Inocybe'' have also been identified in dried mixtures sold in Haitian markets.<ref name=":0" />

The mushrooms can be found on the marketplace in some western stores, though reportedly they are sold at high prices — Gene Yetter of the New Jersey Mycological Association and New York Mycological Society reported that he found them being sold dried in New York for around $1 USD for a quarter of an ounce.<ref name="inoculum">{{Cite news|url = http://msafungi.org/wp-content/uploads/Inoculum/52(1).pdf|title = The Edible Psathyrellas of Haiti|last = Nieves-Rivera|first = Ángel M.|date = February 2001|access-date = 26 November 2015|newspaper = Inoculum — Newsletter of the Mycological Society of America|volume = 52|issue=1}}</ref>

==Use in cooking== When cooked, djondjon mushrooms give the dish that they are in an "exquisite color, taste, and aroma."<ref name="inoculum"/> Before cooking, the inedible stems are removed from the dried mushrooms and the caps are used. Djondjon are often served with rice and a meat such as pork, or fish. Boiling the mushrooms releases a grayish-black color into the water, which can then be used to flavor and color the rice they are served with, giving it a black color.<ref name=tastehaiti>{{Cite book|title = A Taste of Haiti|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=giQaoQz8N0AC|publisher = Hippocrene Books|date = 2003-08-01|isbn = 9780781809986|first = Mirta|last = Yurnet-Thomas|page = 81}}</ref> Dishes utilizing the mushroom are often served in Haiti on special occasions, such as birthdays, weddings, or on Christmas.<ref name ="inoculum"/> Haitians living abroad will often seek out the mushroom for use in cooking in grocery stores located in areas with a large Haitian population, though sometimes they may use a flavored bouillon cube produced by the German company Maggi instead.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Ethnic American Food Today: A Cultural Encyclopedia|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=DBzYCQAAQBAJ|publisher = Rowman & Littlefield|date = 2015-07-17|isbn = 9781442227316|first = Lucy M.|last =Long|page = 258}}</ref>

== References == {{reflist}}

Category:Edible fungi Category:Haitian cuisine Category:Fungi of North America