Sciento-Magick: The Mushroom Matrix

Once again, my brilliant mycophile pal Desultory Philippic has pointed me to another juicy tidbit. This one I simply must share. If you didn't already know that mushrooms were magick, just look at this "flavor network" diagram published in the science journal Nature:

The backbone of the flavor network. From Flavor network & the principles of food pairing.

Do you see that pentagram, bottom right? That's the mushrooms! Awesome, no?

Mushrooms making pentagrams aside, the article also looks absolutely fascinating. Entitled, "Flavor network and the principles of food pairing," the abstract reads thusly:

"The cultural diversity of culinary practice, as illustrated by the variety of regional cuisines, raises the question of whether there are any general patterns that determine the ingredient combinations used in food today or principles that transcend individual tastes and recipes. We introduce a flavor network that captures the flavor compounds shared by culinary ingredients..."

I love it! If your'e intimidated by the language, don't be -- the article has an abundance of helpful diagrams like the one above. I can't wait to read it. Downloading .pdf... now. Too bad I have to pack for Las Vegas (again). I'd rather be reading. Oh, or writing about my new concept "Sciento-Paganism," but that's a post for another time...  


Blessed Winter Solstice Friends.