The use of fungi as food and in food processing, II

Abstract

Over 25 common, easily identifiable edible wild mushrooms are described and illustrated and the use of a key is explained. Wherever necessary, directions are given to prevent confusion of some poisonous mushroom with the edible species under discussion. There is a discussion of fungi as animal food, and animals which eat mushrooms as well as the mushrooms they eat are named. It is concluded that wild mushrooms play a very important role in the feeding of wildlife and thus in some instances constitute the beginning of a food chain that ends with man. Although all available evidence points to the fact that edible mushroom species far outnumber poisonous ones, considerable space is devoted to species of mushrooms that have been reported to be poisonous. Types of mushroom are illustrated. Where known the chemistry of the poisonous principle is discussed and recorded symptoms and treatments are listed. One complete section is devoted to hallucinogenic mushrooms and ethnomycology. Although other mushrooms are known to be psychotropic, the discussion primarily involves the Fly Agaric, Amanita muscaria, and the “sacred mushrooms” of Mexico. The final section, which deals with the preparation of mushrooms, lists over 200 named mushroom‐containing dishes grouped into eight general categories. Several representative recipes are presented for each of the general categories, and the reader is directed to several cookbooks which are concerned only with the preparation of mushrooms.