 |
| |
The online cookbook for entertaining and gourmet recipes. |
|
| | |
Mushroom
In culinary terms, mushrooms are the edible, not edible or poisonous species and varieties of the kingdom of fungus (fungi) that also includes yeasts, rusts and molds among the estimated 1 million plus species of fungus.
Fungi are divided in two groups, the mycromycetes, which are only seen under the microscope and the macrofungi, the mushrooms, which include all edible and not edible and poisonous varieties.
Mushrooms grow in various different shape and sizes, from the wood ear, and snow fungus type that are often used in Asian cuisines, to tubers such as the truffle, and varieties that resemble cauliflowers in shape to the typical “umbrella type” mushroom such as cep and button mushrooms.
There are a great many varieties, species and sub species of mushrooms, but while the best such as the morel, cep (boletus) chanterelle, button or field, trumpet, portabello, shiitake, truffle or enoki are delightful culinary ingredients, others are simply not palatable due to their odor or textures, of little culinary value due to their non existent or poor flavor and texture or outright toxic and/or poisonous with some species that may even lead to death when consumed.
Picking mushrooms for usage and cooking at home is a great outdoor activity, but one needs to seek advise of a specialist before determining which ones should make the menu and which ones need to be discarded. Different mushrooms often resemble each other and might be mistaken with an poisonous or inedible mushroom. Certain varieties are also perfectly fit for consumption if picked young, while developing unpleasant attributes when fully grown.
|
|
|
 |
|