Know your Mushrooms

Know your Mushrooms - Introduction

• • Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruiting bodies of several species of fungi.

  • They belong to the macrofungi, because their fruiting structures are large enough to be seen with the naked eye.

  • They can appear either below ground (hypogeous) or above ground (epigous) where they may be picked by hand.

Know your Mushrooms - Varieties

• • Most of the table mushrooms we eat are all of the same variety. Its name is Agaricus bisporus, and it includes portobello, cremini, and white button mushrooms.

  • The difference between these popular varieties of mushrooms is just age.

White button mushrooms

• • The white button mushrooms, those very familiar kitchen staples, are simply the youngest variety.

  • They have been cultivated, too, for that white colour and soft texture.

  • In the wild these mushrooms are usually browner.

Portobello mushrooms

• • The portobello is the most mature mushroom here; it's really just an overgrown white mushroom.

  • They are left to grow for longer, until they have spread out into the popular, delicious, meaty cap.

Cremini mushrooms

• • The cremini mushroom is just in between the two varieties above.

  • It's a moderately mature version of the white button mushroom, which is why it has a similar flavour.

  • It's younger than the portobello, but still related, which is why these are sometimes sold as "baby bella" or "baby portobello" mushrooms.

Know your Mushrooms - Edibility

• • Edibility may be defined by criteria that include absence of poisonous effects on humans and desirable taste and aroma.

  • By some accounts, less than 10% of all mushrooms may be edible.

  • Edible mushrooms are consumed by humans for their nutritional and occasionally medicinal value as comestibles.

  • Mushrooms consumed for health reasons are known as medicinal mushrooms.

  • Hallucinogenic mushrooms (e.g. Psilocybin mushrooms) are occasionally consumed for recreational or religious purposes, they can produce severe nausea and disorientation, and are therefore not commonly considered edible mushrooms.

  • Edible mushrooms include many fungal species that are either harvested wild or cultivated.

  • Easily cultivatable and common wild mushrooms are often available in markets, and those that are more difficult to obtain (such as the prized truffle and matsutake) may be collected on a smaller scale by private gatherers.

Know your Mushrooms - Identification

• • Before assuming that any wild mushroom is edible, it should be identified.

  • Proper identification of a species is the only safe way to ensure edibility.

  • Some mushrooms that are edible for most people can cause allergic reactions in some individuals, and old or improperly stored specimens can cause food poisoning.

  • Deadly poisonous mushrooms that are frequently confused with edible mushrooms and responsible for many fatal poisonings are several species of the Amanita genus, in particular, Amanita phalloides, the death cap.

  • Some preparations may render certain poisonous mushrooms fit for consumption.

Know your Mushrooms - Medicinal use

• • Many species of medicinal mushrooms have been used in folk medicine for thousands of years.

  • The use of medicinal mushrooms in folk medicine is best documented in the East.

  • Medicinal mushrooms are now the subject of study for many ethnobotanists and medical researchers.

  • The ability of some mushrooms to inhibit tumor growth and enhance aspects of the immune system has been a subject of research for approximately 50 years.

  • International mushroom research continues today, with a focus on mushrooms that may have hypoglycemic activity, anti-cancer activity, anti-pathogenic activity, and immune system enhancing activity.

Know your Mushrooms - Nutrition

Oyster mushrooms

• • Recent research has found that the oyster mushroom naturally contains the cholesterol drug lovastatin.

  • Mushrooms produce large amounts of vitamin D when exposed to UV light.

  • Mushrooms that have been exposed to UV light are the only natural, vegan source of vitamin D.