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Mushrooms are a highly sought after food both for their taste and for their great nutritional value, as they are actually very healthy. However, not all mushrooms can be eaten, so it is important to know which are edible mushrooms and which are not to avoid accidents with poisonous or harmful mushrooms.
If you want to learn how to identify edible mushrooms and what are the differences between poisonous and edible mushrooms, join us in this Green Ecologist article in which we are going to give you a list of names of edible mushrooms and explain some tips to recognize them and differentiate them from harmful fungi.
Shiitake
Originally from China, the consumption of this mushroom has spread throughout the cuisines of all Southeast Asia, being well known in Japanese cuisine. The shiitake mushroom It has a dark brown warm hat and the interior is cream tones. Its powerful smell of wood and it is especially valued for use in stews, soups, sushi, and salads.
Porcini
Best known among types of edible mushrooms in Spain What boletus, these are one of the star edible mushrooms of Italian cuisine. They are very soft in texture and dense meat. Its trunk is white, with a soft brown cape that covers it up to the hat. Its flavor is reminiscent of walnut and they are used in salads and stir-fries or risottos.
Truffle
The truffle is the most expensive mushroom in the world, and probably also one of the most expensive cooking ingredients in general, and that is that for white truffles you get to pay exorbitant amounts. They come from mycorrhizal tree roots. As a flavoring they are unrivaled and are used in all kinds of exclusive haute cuisine dishes. It is thus also a edible mushroom cultivation of great economic value.
Here we tell you how to grow truffles.
Mushroom
The mushroom is the western mushroom par excellence. It's easy to find them like edible wild mushrooms, and are very representative of the characteristics of edible mushrooms in terms of flavor and properties. They can be consumed both raw and cooked in many ways.
Do you want to learn how to grow them? Here we show you a guide on How to grow mushrooms.
Matsutake
Matsutake is an edible mushroom of great economic value, even if it is kept away from the expensive truffles. It is especially valued in Japan, although it can be found in other countries, such as China and Korea or even Sweden and Finland. The smell of these edible mushrooms is very spicy.
Enoki
Other typical japanese mushroom, whose appearance changes a lot depending on whether it is wild or cultivated: the wild ones look like an edible black mushroom, quite dark brown in color, while the cultivated ones are totally white because they are kept away from the light. The enoki mushrooms they are quite sweet in taste.
huitlacoche
One of the types of edible mushrooms in Mexico par excellence, considered a cultural heritage of pre-Hispanic cuisine. It has a flavor with smoky touches and its consumption is common in stew with epazote and garlic, as well as being used in a large number of recipes.
Gyrgola
The gyrgoyle It is easily recognized thanks to its characteristic hat, in fan shape and due to which it also receives the names of orejón or oyster. It is light gray to brown in color, although it turns yellow as it matures. It has an intense aroma and a delicate texture.
Trumpet of the dead
Its consumption is more common as a condiment or in the form of a spice, dry and ground, although it can be consumed without any problem in a traditional way. The trumpet of the dead it has a dark color, a very mild smell and a pleasant taste.
Senderilla
Another of the most consumed mushrooms and valued in Spain, the senderilla or senderuela It has a sweet taste and almond aroma. The fungus has a soft brown color and one of its great advantages is that it is exceptionally well preserved, as it does not suffer from larval attacks or rot.
Portobello
The portobello It is the same species of fungus as the champignon, but of a different variety. It comes from the Mediterranean coasts and its biggest difference with its relative is its big size, with a soft brown cap of up to 15 cm and a more pronounced flavor.
Yellow trumpet
One of the easiest edible mushrooms to use in the kitchen for its sweet taste is the Camagroc, yellow chanterelle or yellow trumpet. It is very characteristic in appearance, so it is very easy to identify in its wild state.
Morel
We just mentioned different kinds of edible mushrooms speaking of morel. It is another very characteristic fungus due to its shape, in this case reminiscent of a honeycomb. They are also called morel or cypress mushroom and have a rather marked wood and forest flavor.
How to tell if a mushroom is edible
Now that you have seen photos of edible mushrooms, their names and some characteristics, we will tell you how to identify and differentiate them. Although each species has its peculiarities and a specific knowledge of the matter is necessary, there are some tricks that can be used to differentiate edible from poisonous mushrooms. Here we mention two that are very useful:
- If the trunk of the fungus turns blue when you cut it, it is that you are probably facing a poisonous species that you should not eat under any circumstances.
- Another way to find out is to boil a few mushrooms next to a garlic clove. If the garlic clove darkens, it also implies that you are dealing with poisonous fungi.
If you dare to try growing mushrooms at home, do not miss our complete guide to make them grow at home in a healthy way and suitable for consuming them whenever you want.
If you want to read more articles similar to What are edible mushroomsWe recommend that you enter our Nature Curiosities category.
