A LIVING HISTORY BLOG.

18TH CENTURY LIVING HISTORY IN AUSTRALIA.

Monday 7 September 2009

Amadou. Tinder from Fungus.


Amadou was used as tinder in England, Europe and the New World. Amadou is the soft cloth-like substance found under the hard outer layer of the Horse Hoof Fungus, also known as Fomes Fomantarius. This Amadou was also used for drying fish hooks.

1 comment:

DuxDawg said...



To me "for drying fish hooks" is unnecessarily vague and somewhat misleading. More specifically Amadou was, and is, used to remove moisture from dry flies that have become too waterlogged to float.

In my experience the tube portions of many fungi, Hoof (Fomes fomentarius) and Artist's Conk (Ganoderma applanatum) among them, are excellent coal extenders. Coal extenders allow one to carry an ember for as long as one desires, such as to the next encampment. Another use is growing an ember when working with less than optimal tinder bundles.