Many mushroom varieties are usually cooked or salted and pickled before eating. However, some mushrooms are eaten raw, and this tradition has come down to us since ancient times.
What mushrooms are eaten raw
Russula
Contrary to popular belief, only some varieties of russula are edible. These mushrooms can be eaten raw. Their taste reminds of a sweet nutty.
Most russula without preliminary heat treatment are not suitable for consumption due to the bitterness they contain, but they are also edible.
Low calorie content (about 22 kcal per 100 g) allows them to be included in culinary dishes of various complexity.
In russula, a mushroom cap is chosen for eating without heat treatment, without taking a mushroom leg.
Edible representatives include the following species: green russula, p. gray, p. light yellow, p. food, with. blue.
Forest species of russula are the most delicious, but grown from mycelium in their own summer cottage are more useful: mushroom pickers think so.
Ryzhiki
Ryzhiks are one of the rare representatives of the genus Mlechnik, which are suitable for food purposes raw. Fresh contain:
- up to 90% water;
- up to 3% proteins;
- up to 0.7% fat;
- up to 2.4% carbohydrates;
- fiber and minerals.
Calorie content of fresh mushrooms: 29 kcal per 100 g. Mushrooms are eaten raw with salt, pepper and lemon juice, which further enhances their gastronomic qualities.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
Ryzhiks belong to the 1st taste category. Their advantage over a number of other edible species is that they do not need preliminary soaking. You just need to wipe well and at the same time carefully (so as not to damage) with a damp cloth, remove adhering leaves and other forest debris from the surface, and also cut off the lower part of the leg.
To improve the taste, mushrooms are cleaned, pepper, salted, sprayed with lemon juice and kept at a temperature of 21-22 ° C for half an hour.
Edible umbrella
The varieties of the umbrella mushroom include those that can be eaten without pretreatment:
- field;
- elegant;
- Conrad;
- mastoid;
- motley;
- shaggy;
- maiden.
They all have a slightly tart nutty flavor and a pleasant aroma. Raw umbrella mushrooms are sometimes used in sandwiches and salads.
Chanterelles
Raw chanterelles are usually eaten dried. It is recommended to consume them in small quantities, up to 3-5 pieces per day. The advantage of using them fresh is their resistance to worm damage.
Untreated mushrooms have a pleasant sour taste.
Did you know? In folk medicine, in order to cleanse the human body from parasites (helminths) due to the presence of a powerful antiparasitic effect, the use of raw chanterelles in food has long been successfully used.
White mushroom
White mushroom is good in salads
Porcini mushrooms are eaten without pretreatment without fear, they only prefer to choose mushroom caps for food purposes. Fresh low-calorie noble boletus (about 40 kcal per 100 g with a protein content of up to 5%) is well combined in salads with vegetables and fresh herbs. White mushroom does not have bitter milky juice in its pulp, so eating it raw in food will not cause irritation or poisoning.
Champignons
The most common genus of all is champignon. Some of its varieties not only provide nutritional benefits, but also act as a natural remedy, for example, maitake.
Only young specimens are suitable for raw consumption. Do not eat raw those that grew in damp and hot weather, because the mushroom fruit body is a breeding ground for bacteria and mold, which poses a serious risk of contracting intestinal infections.
Low-calorie raw champignon (25 kcal per 100 g) is widely used in cooking as an ingredient for salads and sauces, used in sandwiches and for decorating ready-made dishes. Combines with various vegetables, lemon and soy sauce.
Nutritionists believe that greenhouse mushrooms (oyster mushrooms and champignons) can and even be eaten raw.
Truffle
An expensive truffle, which is rarely found on the territory of Russia, is often not subjected to heat treatment in order to preserve its gastronomic qualities and useful properties.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
Truffles are very expensive mushrooms. When using them, adhere to the following recommendations:
- Truffles are only served fresh as the aroma disappears quickly.
- During cooking, you should not subject the mushrooms to intense heat treatment: white is served raw, and black is slightly warmed up in the oven for 5 minutes.
- Mushrooms are cut with a special device or as thinly as possible with a knife.
- The truffles are put on the dish (plate) last.
You can store truffles:
- a whole month without clearing the earth completely;
- 2 months if placed in sand;
- in olive oil: wash the mushrooms, put them in a jar and cover with oil. By the way. This oil is great for making sauces.
A truffle is used as an additive to the main culinary dish to sharpen its taste. Its aroma, similar to that of a walnut, is greatly enhanced when thinly sliced fresh mushroom slices are spread on a warm dish.
Oyster mushroom
Nutritional properties of oyster mushrooms are comparable to the mineral and vitamin composition of fruits, therefore, in order to preserve their beneficial properties, these mushrooms are often eaten raw, without subjecting them to preliminary heat treatment. Eating them raw is also promoted by their good absorption by the body.
The chemical composition of raw oyster mushrooms contains dozens of macro- and microelements necessary for health, as well as a sufficient amount of the protein component.
By their nutritional properties, oyster mushrooms are quite comparable to fruits. For food purposes, oyster mushrooms use only mushroom caps, because the legs of these mushrooms are hard and difficult to chew.
Conclusion
In the variety of the kingdom of mushrooms, there are those varieties that can be eaten without preliminary processing, in a raw form. Among these mushrooms are some types of russula, mushrooms and chanterelles, porcini mushrooms, champignons, truffles and oyster mushrooms.