Mushrooms, toadstools, fungus. They may look alike but if you're an amateur, you should refrain from picking them within the woods. Many fragrant tasty species grow wild and add a pungent flavor to soups, stews and casseroles. White button mushrooms are grown domestically, offer less flavor and will be found within the produce section of the local food store. Nevertheless they are not veggies. They reside in the fungus family. While certain species can be cultivated commercially, others grow only within the wild. Although fat-free and low- calorie, mushrooms do offer some nutritional value and add flavor and volume to many dishes.

Even though you love their culinary value, don't run out after the next rainfall and pluck those little toadstools sprouting on the lawn for your morning omelet. Many are highly poisonous, and it takes knowledgeable pickers to differentiate. The greater popular types around the world are shitake, morel, oyster, chanterelle and cremini, which are flavorful, more costly and of-course favored over the white variety by discriminating chefs. (Frenchmen wouldn't dream of using our bourgeois white button variety.) Many species require cooking and should never be eaten raw, for example the morel. Tasty large portobello make an ideal meat replacement and also a popular choice among vegetarians. The prized ruffle tops the list in its native France, as well as other countries pay through the nose to import them. (Those French. Nothing though the best for their discriminating palettes.)

While mushrooms presumably date back to the cavemen, the earliest documented usage goes back to ancient China, where mushrooms were consumed for medicinal as well as culinary purposes. (Long before explorer Marco Polo trekked over to China.) Always along with Read the Full Post latest food discoveries, Romans enjoyed them as a food, but since all mushrooms are not edible, those inventive emperors employed food tasters to find out that might be poisonous. (Certainly not an enviable job. You never knew which meal could possibly be your last.) Throughout history, mushrooms happen to be dried and then eaten all winter, which placed them highly sought after.

Asians in particular value mushrooms as a medicine, like the reishi, maitake and turkey tail, and they ingest them frequently for health concerns, either cooked or as a tea. With over 65% of the world's production, China tops the list, followed by Italy and Poland. At 5%, the united states is no slouch, cranking out 390,000 tons over a year. (That's a whole lot of soup.)

Among many ethnic cultures, mushrooming or foraging is a popular pastime. Not only can you find some tasty varieties, but you get fresh air and exercise at the exact same time. Just make sure you recognize the ones to pick as well as the ones to pass up. (And if you're in wooded areas, make certain you also recognize poison ivy when you see it.) Charming drawings and stories throughout history depict fairies as well as other small creatures sitting under or along with toadstools, hence the name's origin. Were they edible or just furniture? No-one knows for sure. Probably both.