Info about Mushrooms
All about mushrooms
Mushrooms are neither plants, nor animals and they belong the kingdom of Fungi. They are called fungus and the image everybody has in mind when thinking about mushrooms is that of a stalk wearing a hat. This hat is also referred to as cap or pileus and the stalk as stripe or stem.
The most known ans consumed mushroom in the world is Agaricus bisporus known as white button mushroom. There are microsocpic fungus , but the msuhroom we all know about are those as described earlier.
These ones are placed in a division that is called “Eumycota” and it means “true Fungi”. Depending on the structure of their fruiting body, Eumycota mushrooms are divided in two other groups, Basidiomycetes and ascomycetes.
The mushrooms are the reproductive organs of the fungus. They carry spores from which new mushrooms appear and the cycle is repeated. When we pick up a mushroom, the main body of the fungus remains underground and it is represented by a network od tiny threads called Hyphae. When two compatible hyphae meet, they join and form a new network called Mycelium and this is the one the mushroom will grow from where the wheatear conditions are favorable.
The life span of the mushrooms is quite short and some even last less than a day. Some may resist for a couple of days and those with a wooden texture may live a few weeks. However, this means that there is a quite short perion when we can find and pick them up.
Every mushrooms wear millions and millions of spores that that means that from one single mushroom a whole colony can appear. Nevertheless, these spores are dangerous for the human respiratory system and workers working in mushrooms farms have to wear protective masks.
Edible Mushrooms are used in the Chinese, European and Japanese cuisine in order to cook different dishes. Some species are rich in fiber and in vitamins like riboflavin, thiamine, niacine, cobalamins, biotin and ascorbic acid. After being exposed to ultraviolet light, some mushrooms become important sources of vitamin D. Other minerals contained by mushrooms include phosphorus, potassium and selenium.
Agaricus bisporus is the most consumed mushroom in the world and it is cultivated in farms. There are some mushrooms varieties of it: whites, portobello and crimini. Other mushrooms that are edible, but are not so easily found in supermarkets are mistake, shiitake, and hen of the woods, enoli and oyster.
There also are poisonous mushrooms. Many of them resemble to a certain edible mushroom, but confusing them can be a fatal error. Wild mushrooms should be consumed only by those who are certain what kind of mushroom that is.
Mushrooms can be used to prepare some delicious dishes or to make some special sauces. However, no matter how fragile they may appear, some mushrooms can be very dangerous if eaten and their ingestion can even lead to death. Eat only mushrooms from the supermarket as these are grown in farms and are safe.