In Kennett Square, America's mushroom capital

Mushrooms are not just food but a way of life in this Pennsylvania borough that celebrates fungi

- Teja Lele

I walk past the ice-cream display freezer at La Michoacana in Kennett Square, a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, US. Those are some unusual flavors: rice pudding, avocado, tamarind and corn (dusted with chili powder). But there's one that seems out of place: mushroom. I decide to give it a try since I'm in the "mushroom capital of the world." The earthy, subtly nutty ice cream surprises me: it has a creamy texture, a hint of umami sweetness, and an almost caramelized mushroom undertone. The scoop shop owner smiles; she's seen that look of surprise many times.

Kennett Square sits in the heart of lush Brandywine Valley. Here, mushrooms aren't just food; they're an identity. Shops in the quaint town are dedicated to mushrooms: the fungi are emblazoned on T-shirts and greeting cards, stamped on coffee mugs and tea towels, carved into lamp posts and magnets, and stirred into everything from soup to coffee.

This isn't a gimmick. Farms in the region account for over 50% of all mushrooms produced in the US.

The Mushroom Farmers of Pennsylvania, an advocacy group for the region's growers, traces Kennett Square's mushroom legacy back to 1885, when William Swayne, a Quaker florist, began cultivating mushrooms in the unused space beneath his greenhouse's carnation beds.

The borough's geography and infrastructure played a key role in the mushroom industry's growth, with a rail line through nearby Avondale offering easy access to major markets like New York City, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C.