Mushrooms, toadstools, fungus. They may look alike but when you are an amateur, you should refrain from picking them in 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 may also be found within the produce section of the local food store. But they are not veggies. They reside within the fungus family. While certain species can be cultivated commercially, others grow only in the wild. Although fat-free and low- calorie, mushrooms do offer some nutritional value and add flavor and volume to many dishes.

Although you love their culinary value, do not 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 better popular types all over the world are shitake, morel, oyster, chanterelle and cremini, that 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 a popular choice among vegetarians. The prized ruffle tops the list in its native France, and other countries pay over 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 and culinary purposes. (Long before explorer Marco Polo trekked over to China.) Always along with the latest food discoveries, Romans enjoyed them as a food, but since all mushrooms are not edible, those inventive emperors employed food tasters to determine which 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 cool way to improve tea. With over 65% of the world's production, China tops the list, then by Italy and Poland. At 5%, the united states is no slouch, cranking out 390,000 tons annually. (That is a great deal 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 ensure you recognize the ones to pick and also the ones to pass up. (And when you are 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 on top of toadstools, hence the name's origin. Were they edible or just furniture? No one knows for sure. Probably both.