Mystery foods explored…

I have discovered its true name: Monkeyhead mushroom, also known as, per Wikipedia, Lion's Mane Mushroom, Bearded Tooth Mushroom, Hedgehog Mushroom, Bearded Hedgehog Mushroom, pom pom mushroom, or Bearded Tooth Fungus. Studies in rats explore whether some of the effects of this mushroom's compound include regulating  blood lipid evels and reducing blood glucose levels. and a clinical study extended to humans suggest an antidementia effect by being an inducer of brain tissue regeneration and causing 6 out of 7 elderly patients in one study to have improvements in their perceptual capacities. Of course, they had them in soup, not cooked in butter, so it was a bit healthier than my preparation.

In other mystery foods, when I went to sign my rent, there was a food stand not far from the intersection where the office was and I stopped in. The produce was not as impressive compared to the farmer's market, but apparently this store also doubled as an ethnic grocery. I didn't have a use for most of the mysterious goods I saw, but one intrigued me: maamoul cookies. They had two kinds- one filled with walnut, and one with date. They were wrapped in powdered sugar and powder so you could only glimpse and guess at what wonders were inside.

Apparently, Maamoul are traditional Lebanese cookies served in the Middle East during special holidays, and there are three kinds of maamoul fillings: walnut, pistachio and date. I purchased the walnut one to try. I was surprised how sweet these were: what I thought was just white powdered sugar turns out to be hiding white icing all over the cookie. The cookie itself looks almost like a big round piece of shortbread. But, it's much more buttery than shortbread, and softer: it just crumbles in your fingers, and sorta melts in your mouth. Pretty good!

There was also something else in the market that I didn't try, but I really feel is important to share the progress of food: