Talk:Edible mushroom

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Contents

[edit] Production figures

I think the production figures are interesting, but they are also something of a moving target. In particular, the title of most extensively cultivated mushroom in the world seems likely to change soon, if it has not already, judging from these numbers. What do other people think about the best way to handle this? — Pekinensis 19:30, 8 May 2005 (UTC)

Can someone add a section on their nutritional info?

I do agree. Oyster mushroom doesn't really comprise 25% of world production right now. The attached .pdf file is way outdated actually.

There is a lot of information about wild edible fungi available in a book I wrote for FAO in 2004. I can't see any reference to this anywhere in the current article. The book includes production figures, lists of species for all countries (thus removing the heavy Northern bias of the current article), history of use and so on. There is an extensive bibliography, again world-wide.

The book is available online in English, Spanish and French. Mmmm. I still have copies availble: contact me at <eric_boa (at) hotmail.com>. Over to you guys and gals. Globalplantdoctor (talk) 18:26, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Eating raw mushrooms

I've eaten raw mushrooms of many varieties throughout my life, but I've recently encountered numerous resources claiming any consumption of raw mushrooms should be avoided. I'm wondering if this is a false rumor extending the properties of the False_Morel to other mushrooms, or if there is some truth to these claims. I'd love to see this article include a few published references regarding this subject. Here's what I found so far online.

Excepting the common store bought mushroom (button?), seems like the more reputable sources advise wholly against. Anyone have access to futher information and specifics? ∴ here…♠ 21:38, 25 July 2006 (UTC)

I strongly doubt it since if this was true, Japanese media would be all over this since mushrooms are very commonly eaten in Japan but I have yet to encounter any significant news report. However, eating any "unwashed" raw mushroom will and could cause a problem for various reasons and that could be why references could be cautioning people. Naturally grown and harvested mushrooms can come in contact with anything in nature (including human and animal waste) and even commercially grown mushrooms could not guarantee the 100% contamination free status. It is entirely possible for people to use a unwashed cooking knife contaminated by salmonella and others to cut a mushroom. It is better to caution rather than assume that necessary precautions are taken. --Revth 05:04, 13 November 2006 (UTC)
There may be wild species that are OK to eat raw in Japan. My understanding is that some wild mushrooms are toxic when raw, and most are not very digestible when raw. Those aren't really poisonous, but will give you "indigestion" if eaten in quantity. This may be a bias from hunting in the Pacific Northwest, but it's still probably better to cook it unless you know specifically that it's OK to eat raw. Revdrace 01:18, 1 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Merging Edible mushroom and mushroom hunting

Theroetically a large amount of material overlaps. Question is which page should bear the titleCas Liber 19:38, 14 January 2007 (UTC)

Much of the mushroom hunting page repeats itself - and the idea of a list of edible fungi and then another list of confusing species is a bit of overkill. I'd Support a merge, with the possible separation of cultivation into a separate article if it grew too big. Cas Liber 19:47, 14 January 2007 (UTC)
Yes I agree with you about the merge as the hunting and/or gathering are part of the whole identification experience, and mushrooms are an unusual subject in that the edibility of each species is an important element of its description. --Matt 07:22, 16 January 2007 (UTC)
  • I suspect, though I'm not an expert that mushroom hunting is a pasttime that is quit worthy of its own article. I'd say, put in a summary on edibility and link to the full article. Basically it should be cleaned up. Since mushroom hunting is not that familiar a term (at least not for me), I recommend putting things at Edible mushroom should they get merged despite my comment. - Mgm|(talk) 14:05, 17 January 2007 (UTC)
  • I say keep the articles separate. People hunt for mushrooms they don't intend to eat (such as decorative polypores) or medicinal mushrooms or mushrooms for dyes. Furthermore many (if not most) edible mushrooms are grown rather than hunted. The two topics seem largely separate, even if their article content has overlap. Debivort 21:03, 17 January 2007 (UTC)
Fair enough. We'll keep 'em separate. Cas Liber 03:37, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

More on the topic of merging articles: perhaps this article should be renamed "Edible fungi" and then mycellial foods like tempeh and corn smut could be added. Thibbs 21:47, 4 April 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Dried Mushrooms

I have been seeing a lot of dried mushrooms in grocery stores lately. It should be mentioned somewhere in this article that many mushrooms are sold dry and are rehydrated, and maybe the benefits and downside of drying mushrooms. (I don't know enough about these dried mushrooms to write anything). —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.27.119.90 (talk) 05:05, 22 February 2007 (UTC).

[edit] Nutritional value?

There's no information about the nutritional value of mushrooms on this page. I think it'd make a very good addition so if anyone has any knowledge on the subject I'd be very grateful if they could add it.83.216.157.38 16:52, 22 February 2007 (UTC)

deRoman, Boa and Woodward published an article on nutrition of wild-gathered fungi a few years back. Click here to read the PDF.

There are numerous references in the original book I wrote for FAO on Wild Edible Fungi. Globalplantdoctor (talk) 18:41, 18 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Rearranging the lists

Moving Tuber brumale to list of wild species. Not commercially cultivated yet as far as I can tell (although they're working on cultivating it and several other species).
Moving Gyromitra esculenta - while commonly harvested from the wild I don't think it's cultivated, I can find no evidence that it is.
Added Verpa bohemica to the conditional edibles. I know many people in the Seattle, WA area that eat it, and have even seen it for sale in markets there!
Added a short section on dried mushrooms, per request.
Split "wild edibles" into two lists - commercially harvested wild edibles and other wild edibles. I realize this distinction is a little arbitrary, but I think it is important to have mushrooms like B. edulis and C. cibarius easily visible, not buried in an A-Z list of Tested Toadstools. I left in the first list only those mushrooms which I have either seen in the market or have heard are commonly found in markets somewhere in the world.
There is one small problem - if complete, the Other Wild Edibles list would be literally hundreds of lines long. It would also be kind of useless. Perhaps having separate pages for lists of edible fungi in a particular region would be useful? I can imagine wanting a canonical list of all kind-of vaguely edible fungi to be found in a particular region, but I can't imagine much other point to this section nor consensus on which mushrooms belong in it. I'll post this same sentiment to the WikiProject Fungi Talk page. If I get no further comments in the next few weeks I'll probably start a Pacific Northwest Edibles list and link to it.
Also, could someone please confirm or deny the "History" section of this page? I have done some research and have been unable to confirm any of it (except the bit about Romans eating mushrooms, but not about them testing them with their food tasters... that would be a hopelessly inaccurate way of testing the Amanitas), although the same claims are widely made on the 'net I haven't found ONE page that sites a source. If we can't confirm it we should just get rid of it. Revdrace 15:46, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

I agree with most of your edits, Revdrace, however I disagree about the placement of P. cubensis as an edible mushroom. Most fungal/mushroom field-guides I have read define edibility most closely to comestibility and the Psilocybe spp. are well known to contain liberal doses of the mycotoxins psilocybin and psilocin. These mushrooms (as well as the A. Muscaria which is also harvested for similar effects) cannot be well-placed under the Conditionally Edible category either since it is doubtful that they would be consumed if de-toxified. I understand your reasoning for placing them under commercially cultivated species, but I disagree that they are edible. Perhaps a new section called something like "Mycological Black Market" would be a good last addition for the Psilocybes and Amanitas used recreationally, but an intro paragraphe could be inserted in this section to explain that they are not considered edible per se yet are consumed for ritualistic or recreational reasons. Either way they should not remain where they are. Thibbs (talk) 01:44, 11 December 2007 (UTC)
Also, I forgot to say that I feel Lactarius spp. to be too broad a term to go under Conditionally edible species as the section Deliciosi are all unconditionally edible. Perhaps a note could be added after "Lactarius spp." to except the Deliciosi? I see the Deliciosi are included higher up as well, but the way it stands now it is a little misleading. Oh, and just one more minor thing: I know the L. deliciosus are prized in parts of New England as well as Russia. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Thibbs (talk • contribs) 01:49, 11 December 2007 (UTC)
I'm not sure which Lactarius spp. are pickled in the Slavic countries, certainly many Lactarius are NOT unconditionally edible. P. cubensis and a few other species are cultivated commercially here in the Netherlands, where they are (for now anyway) legal. While they are "edible" in the sense of non-poisonous, they are certainly not "food," so I'll be content with leaving them off this list. Revdrace (talk) 15:41, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] What food group?

Since edible mushrooms are a fungus, what food group would they go into? They are not vegetables, fruit, meat, bread, or milk. So where do mushrooms fit into the food pyramid. 164.113.135.56 (talk) 22:02, 31 January 2008 (UTC)

Umm, hello? 4.244.198.2 (talk) 19:38, 24 February 2008 (UTC)

The food pyramid is an outdated concept. It has been replaced by the MyPyramid. Mushrooms fit under the vegetable portion of the MyPyramid according to this mypyramid.gov link.
This is also where they previously fit under the food pyramid according to this older usda.gov publication.
-Thibbs (talk) 06:27, 23 April 2008 (UTC)