What are edible mushrooms

Originally from China, the consumption of this mushroom has spread throughout the cuisines of Southeast Asia, being well known in Japanese cuisine. The shiitake mushroom has a dark brown heat hat and the interior is cream-toned. Its powerful smell of wood stands out and it is especially valued for use in stews, soups, sushi and salads.

Better known among the types of edible mushrooms in Spain as 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.

The truffle is the most expensive mushroom in the world, and probably also one of the most expensive kitchen ingredients in general, and it is that for white truffles you come 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 cultivation of edible mushrooms of great economic value.

Champiñon

The mushroom is the western mushroom par excellence . They are easy to find as edible wild mushrooms , and they are very representative of the characteristics of edible mushrooms in terms of taste and properties. They can be consumed both raw and cooked in many ways.

Matsutake

The matsutake is an edible mushroom of great economic value, although 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.

Another 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 out of the light. The enoki mushrooms are quite sweet flavor.

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.

The gírgola is easily recognized thanks to its characteristic hat, shaped like a fan and due to which it is also called the 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.

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 the traditional way. The trumpet of the dead has a dark color, a very mild smell and a pleasant taste.

Another of the most consumed and valued mushrooms in Spain, the senderilla or senderuela 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, since it does not suffer from larval attacks or rot.

The portobello is the same species of mushroom as the champignon, but of another variety. It comes from the Mediterranean coasts and its biggest difference with its relative is its large size , with a soft brown hat of up to 15 cm and a more marked flavor.

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.

We just mentioned different kinds of edible mushrooms talking about 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 fairly marked wood and forest flavor.

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 mushrooms from poisonous ones . 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.