Edibility of fungi (1 Viewer)

Are there any tips for what types are edible? Am I correct in thinking that if it's whitish grey and about 7 inches or more across it's got to be Field or Horse Mushroom and therefore edible.

Which is the most poisonous, Deathcap or Destroying Angel?

Lucky Birder said:

Are there any tips for what types are edible? Am I correct in thinking that if it's whitish grey and about 7 inches or more across it's got to be Field or Horse Mushroom and therefore edible.

Which is the most poisonous, Deathcap or Destroying Angel?

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Unfortunately there are no golden rules as to which are edible. 20 years ago I was walking through some fields near Cambridge with some nice Horse Mushrooms, and a horsey woman marched up to me, seized a mushroom, partially peeled the cap, declared it safe, handed it back to me and marched off with a big smile on her face. The problem is that the death cap also peels, so that test is nonsense, as are all other tests. What you have to do is get to know each species that you intend to eat.

There are tests that you can do to help determine the species. Smell, and colour are obvious tests. A large white mushroom in a field with pink or brown gills, a prominent floppy ring on the stem, white flesh, and a strong aniseed smell is probably a Horse Mushroom. A small white mushroom with pink or brown gills, white flesh, a faint ring on the stem, and a mushroomy taste is probably a field mushroom. You must look at the habitat (in a field say), the size, the colour, the time of year, the colour of the flesh when cut, the stem and ring if present, a volva at the base if present and so on.

There are some kinds of mushroom that are safer than others as there are no dangerous lookalikes, or they are so easy to identify. In some parts of Southern Italy they do not eat mushrooms with gills, but eat anything with pores, and indeed there are no deadly pored mushrooms, though stomach ache might result. The Hedgehog Mushroom is a good safe one to start with. The Chanterelle is also an easy one, though some German tourists in Scotland ate a deadly Cortinarius in mistake for Chanterelle, and I think some died, and others survived after liver and/or kidney transplants. They must have been very stupid as the two are quite different. Oyster Mushrooms are fairly safe.

The idea that if it's "whitish grey and about 7 inches or more across" means it is a Horse Mushroom is a bit dodgy. Horse mushrooms ARE easy to id, though you could confuse them with Agaricus macrosporus (edible). I can't think of a lookalike that is 6" or more tall, 6" or more across, though I am sure there are some.

I don't know which is more dangerous but I would stay away from both Death Caps and Destroying Angels. I've never seen the latter, though Death Caps are not uncommon, and rather attractive, if rather nasty. Panther caps are also not uncommon.

Leif

Thankyou for such a thorough answer.

Lithuanians are very big into gathering mushrooms and, at this time of year, the forests are full of people, collecting many types, but mostly two that I don't know the English name of (one is yellow with pores and the other yellowish and with gills). Generally, they seem very knowledgeable and are quick to point out which are edible, which look similar and are not, BUT even amongst these people, every year a small number of people die from eating the wrong ones. I never pick any but the two most common types as I'm certainly not an expert and wouldn't trust myself with the others.

Jos Stratford said:

Lithuanians are very big into gathering mushrooms and, at this time of year, the forests are full of people, collecting many types, but mostly two that I don't know the English name of (one is yellow with pores and the other yellowish and with gills). Generally, they seem very knowledgeable and are quick to point out which are edible, which look similar and are not, BUT even amongst these people, every year a small number of people die from eating the wrong ones. I never pick any but the two most common types as I'm certainly not an expert and wouldn't trust myself with the others.

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Yes deaths are not uncommon in many countries. Quite a few Asian Americans die as a result of confusing Death Caps with Volvariella volvacea, the Paddy Straw Mushroom, which grows in Asia. V. volvacea can be bought in tins and is commonly served in chinese restaurants in the UK.

Russian and Italian friends go crazy over mushrooms. Locally I know a nice site for Chanterelle, and I've several times come across Germans and Poles in 'my patch'. In Autumn the sounds you are most likely to hear in English woods near London are Russian, Polish and German, rather than English.

Russians, Poles and Fins will eat many species that we consider inedible. They pickle or salt them which seems to render them edible.

Leif

Lucky Birder said:

Are there any tips for what types are edible?

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All mushrooms are edible, but some only once. :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

<Don't take it seriously!!>

jurek said:

All mushrooms are edible, but some only once.

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You mean you can eat some twice - urrgh, regurgitated mushroom, disgusting! I though only cows 'ate' things two times! :bounce:

jurek said:

All mushrooms are edible, but some only once. :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

<Don't take it seriously!!>

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There is an American saying, namely that there are old mushroom hunters, and there are bold mushroom hunters, but there are no old bold mushroom hunters.

Leif

I enjoy picking (and eating) fungi very much - something I have learned since coming to Sweden, although Swedes in general are less knowledgeable about fungi than Finns and most of them stick to chanterelles and ceps (boletus edulis).

I began by picking fungi that were difficult to confuse with poisonous species - chanterelles, tube-formed chanterelles, horn of plenty, boletus mushrooms, puffballs etc than advanced to russulus and other species. I remember an expert saying that no one actually needs to pick mushrooms in Sweden in order to survive so it's foolish to take the slightest risk. As he put it, a dinner party that ends with all the guests rushing to the toilet to be sick cannot be classed as a success.

There is however a long tradition in Sweden of eating False Morels, a species that is deadly poisonous. The fungi are boiled in water then rinsed and boiled in water again in order to remove most of the poison. Naturally the water is discarded. When I came to Sweden in the 1980's it was even possible to buy False Morels in the shops but that is now forbidden under EU law. It's not something that can be recommended from a nutritional viewpoint but the fungi are so delicious, especially in a cream sauce, that most experts say it's ok to eat them a few times a year. We had a friend to dinner on Saturday and served him roast wild boar with False Morel sauce. None of us suffered any ill effects afterwards. :eat:

Macswede said:

I enjoy picking (and eating) fungi very much - something I have learned since coming to Sweden, although Swedes in general are less knowledgeable about fungi than Finns and most of them stick to chanterelles and ceps (boletus edulis).

I began by picking fungi that were difficult to confuse with poisonous species - chanterelles, tube-formed chanterelles, horn of plenty, boletus mushrooms, puffballs etc than advanced to russulus and other species. I remember an expert saying that no one actually needs to pick mushrooms in Sweden in order to survive so it's foolish to take the slightest risk. As he put it, a dinner party that ends with all the guests rushing to the toilet to be sick cannot be classed as a success.

There is however a long tradition in Sweden of eating False Morels, a species that is deadly poisonous. The fungi are boiled in water then rinsed and boiled in water again in order to remove most of the poison. Naturally the water is discarded. When I came to Sweden in the 1980's it was even possible to buy False Morels in the shops but that is now forbidden under EU law. It's not something that can be recommended from a nutritional viewpoint but the fungi are so delicious, especially in a cream sauce, that most experts say it's ok to eat them a few times a year. We had a friend to dinner on Saturday and served him roast wild boar with False Morel sauce. None of us suffered any ill effects afterwards. :eat:

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I suppose that is akin to the Japanese tradition of eating puffer fish. The raw fish contains some deadly poison, which I think is in an organ or a gland. Chefs must undergo training and certification before they are allowed to prepare it.

False Morels are not uncommon here and I see them each year, though I certainly would not try them. The poison is hydrazine, which is essentially rocket fuel. They were widely eaten in Eastern Europe though I think the sale is now banned. My brother lives in Finland, though he is Swedish speaking, and sometimes I am tempted to pursuade him to try some.

Leif

Lucky Birder said:

Are there any tips for what types are edible? Am I correct in thinking that if it's whitish grey and about 7 inches or more across it's got to be Field or Horse Mushroom and therefore edible.

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Or Entoloma sinuatum, which also has pink gills.
And is fatally poisonous.
Or one of the nice, big, highly poisonous Hebeloma species.
Or one of various other possibilities.

Lucky Birder said:

Which is the most poisonous, Deathcap or Destroying Angel?

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There are degrees of being dead?
Both fungi are well named.

Destroying Angels, and colour forms of the Death Cap, could fit your "whitish grey and about 7 inches or more across" criterion as well.

Still, at least anyone fatally poisoned by the Destroying Angel will have the consolation that they have been sent into the afterlife by one of our most beautiful fungi!

Alan

Leif said:

The Chanterelle is also an easy one, though some German tourists in Scotland ate a deadly Cortinarius in mistake for Chanterelle, and I think some died, and others survived after liver and/or kidney transplants. They must have been very stupid as the two are quite different.

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Actually, Leif, the mistake was not so difficult to understand. The Cortinarius was C. speciosissimus and in its young stages it can be exactly the size, shape and colour of a young Chanterelle. The more expert mycologist might realise that a Chanterelle doesn't have a cortina, but that was a piece of information that somehow had passed the tourists by.

The tourists - there were three of them, camping in native pine forest, all survived, but one of the two guys did need a kidney transplant, while the girl who collected and cooked the fungi and blamed herself for the tragedy had a nervous breakdown. C. speciosissimus is pretty rare in Britain (in fact I believe they made the first British record), but it happens to be frequent just in the area where they were camping. I understand that it has killed a lot of people on the continent, especially in Poland, and confusion with Chanterelles seems to be the reason.

Even the Chanterelle must be checked very carefully.

Alan

And to answer the original question, there are, in fact, only two edible fungi.

One is the Wood Hedgehog, Hydnum repandum, which has a firm texture and slightly nutty taste, and would really be pretty good if it didn't grow around obstructions and debris rather than push through them (which means that the flesh can contain sand, pieces of twig and various other natural seasonings).

The second is Penicillium camembertii, which forms the rind on Camembert and Brie cheeses.

All other fungi, including the cultivated mushroom, are slimy, taste foul and look like cooked slugs.

Cooks who ruin perfectly good meals by sneaking mushrooms into them should be force fed a mixed dish of Lactarius rufus and Russula mairei.

I see your point about fungi being slimy (sort of) but the solution is surely to fry them till they become crispy.

In my opinion Hydnum repandum have a good texture but not much flavour (at least the ones in Sweden). I usually mix them with other species.

Fungi that I think taste good and are definitely not slimy include:

Tube-formed Chanterelles Cantharellus tubaeformis
Sparassis crispa
Lactarius volemus
Lactarius deliciosus or deterrimus
Russula xerampelina

I'm afraid I don't know what most of them are called in English (maybe they don't grow in Britain) but they're all personal favourites. The most controversial choice in Sweden would be the Sparris crispa which a lot of people I know don't like but I think the strong flavour makes it a good accompaniment to game. Not something I find that often though!
:eat:

Silver wrote
'And to answer the original question, there are, in fact, only two edible fungi.'

Surely what you mean is eatable. Any fungi, which is not poisonous must be by definition edible.

Silver said:

Actually, Leif, the mistake was not so difficult to understand. The Cortinarius was C. speciosissimus and in its young stages it can be exactly the size, shape and colour of a young Chanterelle. The more expert mycologist might realise that a Chanterelle doesn't have a cortina, but that was a piece of information that somehow had passed the tourists by.

The tourists - there were three of them, camping in native pine forest, all survived, but one of the two guys did need a kidney transplant, while the girl who collected and cooked the fungi and blamed herself for the tragedy had a nervous breakdown. C. speciosissimus is pretty rare in Britain (in fact I believe they made the first British record), but it happens to be frequent just in the area where they were camping. I understand that it has killed a lot of people on the continent, especially in Poland, and confusion with Chanterelles seems to be the reason.

Even the Chanterelle must be checked very carefully.

Alan

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Hi Alan: I guess I am so experienced at picking Chanterelle that I could never make such a mistake, but as you say, mistakes can easily be made by the unwary. That is why I usually recommend inexperienced people to take the fungi to an expert for a 100% id. I tend to forget how confusing fungi can seem to the novice.

Entoloma sinuatum is quite distinct from the Horse Mushroom since it lacks a ring, and is not so big. But yes I agree that the inexperienced could confuses them.

In fact I am amazed that some books list The Miller and St. George's Mushroom (Calocybe gambosa) as edible with no warnings. Both could be confused with an Entoloma sinuatum or a Collybia dealbata which I think are both potentially deadly.

There is an irony in the German tourist story as many people would be pleased as punch to have made the first UK collection of a species.

Leif

Silver said:

And to answer the original question, there are, in fact, only two edible fungi.

One is the Wood Hedgehog, Hydnum repandum, which has a firm texture and slightly nutty taste, and would really be pretty good if it didn't grow around obstructions and debris rather than push through them (which means that the flesh can contain sand, pieces of twig and various other natural seasonings).

The second is Penicillium camembertii, which forms the rind on Camembert and Brie cheeses.

All other fungi, including the cultivated mushroom, are slimy, taste foul and look like cooked slugs.

Cooks who ruin perfectly good meals by sneaking mushrooms into them should be force fed a mixed dish of Lactarius rufus and Russula mairei.

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Alan: Your problem is that mushrooms + Scottish culinary skills = yuck. Stick to deep fried mars bars. 3 Seriously though I simply cannot agree with you. Black Trumpets are superb, with a strong mushroom flavour. Saffron Milk Caps are excellent, with a firm meaty texture and good taste. Winter Chanterelle (Cantharellus Tubaeformis) are nice in omelettes and soups. Chanterelle are good when fresh. However I had some dried ones last night and they were awful. Morels are really good, but hard to find. I like Boletes, but only young ones, as I find the pores horrible when mature. I could go on. It might be that you do not prepare them to advantage. Gently sauteed with some optional finely chopped vegetables,and finished with olive oil, white wine vinegar, sale and pepper, and some toast, and the result is very good. Or gently sauteed and then added to an omelette.

You also forgot Penicillium roquefortii, though something tells me you did not forget it! It is of course the mould in blue cheese such as Roquefort.

I have never really like field mushrooms for some reason.

Leif

Leif said:

Alan: Your problem is that mushrooms + Scottish culinary skills = yuck. Stick to deep fried mars bars.
Leif

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I've lived in Scotland for 30 years and I'm STILL trying to find somewhere that actually does deep-fried Mars bars!

Leif said:

You also forgot Penicillium roquefortii, though something tells me you did not forget it! It is of course the mould in blue cheese such as Roquefort.
Leif

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Quite correct, I didn't forget it!
It doesn't matter what fancy name is put on a cheese, mouldy cheese is still mouldy cheese and tastes like it!

Despite my emphatic disinclination to eat most fungi, I will admit to a couple of others.
I ran the fungus identification course at Kindrogan for a few years and one year we had the identification course and the eating course running in parallel, so I checked some of their finds (hardly any fatalities!) and they succeeded in feeding me just a couple of their dishes.
Curried Sparassis was surprisingly good, and Chanterelle risotto (served without the optional Cortinarius surprise) was, I grudgingly concede, reasonably okay.

I still don't equate fungi with food, though.

Alan