Small history

Etymology
From the Latin "cippus" meaning "stake."

Description
Class: Basidiomycetes
The cep, an edible mushroom, is usually easily distinguished from its poisonous relatives by the colour of its stem: the cep's is white, while other varieties have reddish or yellowish stems.

The cep is a fleshy mushroom, the underside of whose cap is made up of tightly-packed tubes. This boletus is highly prized for its refined flavour, the most famous variety of which is the "cèpe de Bordeaux." Its name is due to the gluttony of an English king who made the capital of Aquitaine the main shipping port for these valuable mushrooms. It was only late in the 19th century that Parisians rediscovered with great pleasure the cep, thanks to Alcide Bonton, the great chef of the Café Anglais, the poshest hang-out for the aristocracy since the time of Napoleon III. Its favoured clientele were soon raving about the woodland recipes, and the consumption of this wild mushroom came back into vogue.