Caesar's mushroom also goes by names - Caesar's fly agaric, Caesar's mushroom or Caesar's mushroom (lat. Amanita caesarea). It grows over vast areas and is found in the forests of many countries in Europe, Asia and North America. Popularly, this species is often called the Egg Mushroom, due to the fact that at the very beginning of its development the fruiting body is covered with an egg-shaped cocoon. It has found application in many areas, including folk medicine. Caesar mushroom is used to prepare an independent dish and as a dietary supplement.
A photo of Caesar mushroom and a description of how this species can be prepared so that it does not lose its beneficial qualities are presented below.
Description of Caesar's fly agaric with photo
Caesar's fly agaric, as seen in the photo below, differs from the typical representatives of this family. Its appearance diverges from the generally accepted idea of the fly agaric - no white spots are visible on its cap. In shape and size, the fruiting body is similar to its poisonous counterpart - the red fly agaric. Therefore, it is important to know the key features of its appearance so as not to confuse an edible product with a life-threatening mushroom.
Important! An overripe mushroom has an unpleasant odor of hydrogen sulfide, which is much like the smell of rotten eggs. This doesn't mean it's damaged. Caesar's fly agaric is edible and does not harm human health.
Description of the cap
The cap of a young Caesar mushroom has a rounded outline, which is clearly visible in the photo. As the fruiting body grows, it acquires flatter shapes and can reach 10-18 cm in diameter. Sometimes you come across specimens with a cap diameter of about 22 cm.
Ripe specimens have cap edges that are velvety to the touch. The color of the cap varies from rich yellow tones to light brown with an admixture of red. The pulp of the Caesar fly agaric is fleshy and juicy, pleasant to the taste. The underside of the cap is dotted with thin stripes.
Important! There are no white flakes on the cap. This is the main difference between the Amanita Caesar and its dangerous counterpart, the red Amanita.
Description of the leg
The description of the Caesar mushroom states that its stem is 7-12 cm high and about 3 cm thick, as can be seen in the photo below. Its shape is cylindrical, at the base it takes on the appearance of a club. Color – yellowish-ocher with an admixture of orange. The volva at the bottom of the leg is bag-like and rather loose. Its width can reach 4-5 cm. A characteristic feature of the species is a ring of the same color hanging from the stem. Just above this ring, stripes begin that go to the cap, but they are weakly expressed and barely noticeable.
Tips for gourmets
Despite many warnings stating that only experienced specialists can go into the forest to replenish mushroom supplies, not everyone follows this rule. This leads to numerous cases of food poisoning due to confused edible specimens with similar poisonous counterparts.
Doctors note that even accidental eating of dangerous forest inhabitants usually ends much more seriously than ordinary food intoxication. If you notice the first signs of a deterioration in your health, including nausea and a rise in temperature after a questionable meal, you should immediately call an ambulance.
In order not to bring the situation to a disastrous outcome, you need to be able to distinguish between the closest poisonous “relatives”, among which is the red fly agaric. The main differences are as follows: the edible analogue has a smooth cap, while the poisonous one has white growths; the plates and legs of the Caesar mushroom have a golden yellow color, in contrast to the white color of the real dangerous fly agaric; the remains of the lower part of the stem of the caesarean mushroom received a sac-like shape, remaining wide, while the red fly agaric received ring-shaped remains in the base area.
The main mistake of novice quiet hunters is the blind belief that the fly agaric must be red. This is a myth, because some subspecies may exclude both the characteristic white spots on the cap and may not be red at all.
How to cook Caesar mushroom
There are various recipes for preparing Caesar mushroom, among which there are both very sophisticated dishes and quite simple ones - the process in this case takes no more than half an hour. This type can be boiled, fried and baked. Regardless of the cooking method, the taste remains very delicate. Amanita Caesar is served as a separate dish or added to vegetable stews, soups and meat dishes.
Adult mushrooms cannot be served without heat treatment, but young mushrooms that have not yet grown from the egg-shaped shell can be cut into salads. It is enough to rinse them thoroughly before doing this.
Important! The calorie content of Caesar mushroom is 22 kcal per 100 g of product.
Stewed Caesar mushroom with cream
This is one of the most popular recipes for preparing Caesar mushroom.
- Mushrooms are thoroughly washed and finely cut into cubes.
- The resulting mass is poured into a frying pan and simmered over low heat for 5-8 minutes.
- Then add heavy cream to the dish, mix and leave on the fire for another 15 minutes.
Caesar mushroom with bacon
The youngest mushrooms must be selected as the basis for this recipe. The cooking algorithm is as follows:
- The mushrooms are washed, dried and their stems are carefully twisted out. This will free up space for the filling.
- The separated legs are finely chopped and fried with garlic for 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
- Then grate the cheese.
- Pour sour cream (2 tablespoons) over mushroom legs in a frying pan and simmer for a few more minutes without covering with a lid.
- After this, cut the bacon into thin slices, no more than 1 mm thick.
- Beat 1 egg and place filled caps, legs stewed in sour cream, cheese and 1 teaspoon of beaten eggs on special baking paper. All this is placed on sheets of bacon.
- Each sheet of bacon is wrapped around a cap with filling and the resulting roll is secured with a toothpick.
- The dish is baked in the oven for 15 minutes at 180°C.
The dish is served with herbs.
Fried Caesar mushroom in butter
This recipe is very simple: just put a piece of butter on a hot frying pan and add finely chopped mushrooms on top. Fry the Caesar fly agaric in butter for about 15 minutes, at the end the dish is salted and pepper to taste. Before serving, add greens to the dish.
Scrambled eggs with tomatoes and sausage
List of ingredients:
- 1 tomato
- 2 eggs
- 50 g sausages (sausages)
- greenery
- vegetable oil
- spices to taste
Prepared
How to make scrambled eggs with sausage:
- Fry the sausage slices for a minute in vegetable oil.
- Beat the eggs until combined and add to the frying pan.
- Every time the eggs start to stick , turn them over to the other side with a spatula. We get tender pieces of omelette with sausage.
- Cut the tomato into half rings and place in a frying pan. Mix with the egg mixture and fry for half a minute.
- We cut the greens with a knife and add them after the tomatoes. Season. Fry for half a minute.
- Transfer scrambled eggs with tomatoes and sausage to a flat plate.
What are the benefits of Caesar mushroom?
Amanita Caesar is a rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals. The concentration of phosphorus, calcium and ascorbic acid in its pulp is especially high. The benefit of dishes made from it also lies in the fact that it is a low-calorie product that is easily absorbed by the body. An extract from Amanita Caesar is used as an adjuvant in the treatment of cancer.
The beneficial properties of Amanita Caesar have a beneficial effect on the human body:
- relieves fatigue and helps with rapid fatigue;
- strengthens the immune system;
- reduces the risk of developing heart and vascular diseases;
- makes a person less susceptible to stress.
Important! The benefit of Amanita Caesar for men is that the components it contains reduce the risk of prostate diseases.
Contraindications to the use of Caesar's fly agaric
The use of Amanita Caesar has restrictions. It should not be added to food in the following cases:
- with urolithiasis;
- persons with gout;
- with individual intolerance.
Important! The first symptoms of an allergy to Caesar's fly agaric are vomiting, a sharp increase or decrease in blood pressure, and flatulence.
Natural healer
The classic Far Eastern species can delight you with its rich composition of microelements, minerals, and other nutrients. Even specialists from the field of pharmacology adopted it.
American scientists, together with colleagues from Japan, in a series of experiments, found that the enzymes of the cesarean fungus can serve as an effective prevention against cancer. In addition, it has a beneficial effect on men's health.
This is explained by a reduced risk of diseases associated with stopping the functioning of the prostate gland. Hence the logical recommendation from doctors to add healthy new items to the menu more often.
Thanks for all the beneficial qualities should be the chemical composition of the product, which offers:
Another factor in favor of this plant is its high protein level, which has a positive effect on the general condition of the body. And due to the low calorie content, you won’t have to worry about your plump figure.
How and where does Caesar mushroom grow?
Caesar's fly agaric places quite high demands on air purity, so it is impossible to find it near cities and major highways. Most often, the Caesar mushroom is found in deciduous forests in southern Europe; it can also be found in the subtropical zone. On the territory of Russia, the concentration of Amanita Caesar is especially high in Crimea.
It is worth looking for under old trees: oaks, chestnuts, beeches and birches. Caesar's mushroom is found under hazel trees. Occasionally you come across areas strewn with Caesar's fly agarics, which are located on the border of a forest and a field. They grow in large groups; they are rarely seen alone.
The species grows intensively at temperatures from +20°C. You can collect Amanita Caesar from early July to mid-October.
Important! In some European countries, the collection of Caesar mushroom is prohibited - it is listed in the Red Book.
Eggs stuffed with cod liver
Photo: pinterest.ru
If you wish, you can add a spoonful of mayonnaise for consistency.
You will need:
6 eggs, 100 g cod liver, spices, green onions.
Preparation:
Mash the cod liver well with a fork, season, add chopped green onions and grated yolks. Stuff the egg halves with the mixture.
Doubles and their differences
Amanita Caesar has several dangerous counterparts that contain poisonous components in their fruiting body. Similarities with them are observed at different stages of development of the species.
Young fruiting bodies that have not yet “hatched” from the egg-shaped shell look like pale toadstools, the consumption of which can be fatal. You can distinguish the Caesar mushroom from its poisonous counterpart by making an incision on the egg shell and examining the contents of the cocoon. In a young pale toadstool, all parts of the mushroom have a faint greenish color, close to white. Caesar's fly agaric is golden-orange inside a white shell.
An adult Caesar mushroom is similar to the Amanita muscaria - an extremely poisonous mushroom that should never be eaten. They can be distinguished by the white flakes on the cap with which the poisonous double is strewn. The Amanita Caesar has a clean hat. In addition, Amanita muscaria has a more saturated red color. You can also distinguish these two species by the leg - in the Caesar's fly agaric the volva is free and bag-shaped, while in the red fly agaric it grows to the base.
The Amanita Caesar also has an edible analogue - the Far Eastern Caesar mushroom. The significant difference between these species is that the cap of the Far Eastern one has a rich red color, while that of the Caesar cap is light brown, slightly reddish. The Far Eastern variety grows in the deciduous forests of the Primorsky Territory, in its southern part.
Eggs stuffed with liver
Photo: zen.yandex.ru
We recommend using chicken liver. And if you take another one, be sure to soak it in milk first!
You will need:
6 eggs, 200 g of liver, 2 onions, 70 g of butter, spices.
Preparation:
Finely chop the onion and fry it in butter. Add the liver there, fry until cooked and grind in a blender or using a meat grinder. Add the remaining butter, grated yolks and spices to the minced meat, and stuff the egg halves.
Is it possible to grow Amanita Caesar mushrooms on a plot?
Caesar's fly agaric is not particularly popular among gardeners and gardeners, which is explained by its high demands on temperature conditions and soil composition. The growing conditions for this species on the site are as close to natural as possible. Amanita Caesar grows very slowly - it fully matures a few years after planting.
Advice! Caesar mushroom is planted under chestnut, birch, oak, that is, those varieties under which it grows in the forest. It is better to choose old specimens - they are better suited as planting material.
There are several ways to transplant Amanita Caesar:
- Planting material is crushed into a bucket and filled with rainwater. The resulting mixture is infused for 2 days at a temperature of about +20°C, after which the contents of the bucket are poured near a suitable tree.
- Carefully dug up mushrooms from the forest are transplanted to the garden plot.
- Planting material is crushed and buried under the trees, but not very deep.
Important! The first sign that the plantings have taken root in a new place is thin threads of mycelium on the ground.
Eggs stuffed with crab sticks
Photo: narkologiya-orel.ru
An excellent alternative to crab stick salad if you’ve been tired of it for a long time!
You will need:
4 eggs, 3 crab sticks, 40 g cheese, 1 tbsp.
corn, 1 clove of garlic, mayonnaise and spices. Preparation:
Boil the eggs, cut in half and mash the yolk with a fork. Add finely chopped crab sticks, grated cheese, corn, crushed garlic and mayonnaise with spices. Stuff the eggs.
Salads for the holiday table: 15 simple and delicious recipes
Eggs stuffed with tuna
Photo: open-cook.ru
Tuna is suitable in its own juice or in oil - whichever you prefer.
You will need:
4 eggs, 1 can of tuna, 3 green onions, 1 tsp.
grainy mustard, olives, spices. Preparation:
Mash the tuna with a fork along with the yolks of boiled eggs. Finely chop the green onions and olives and add to the filling along with mustard and spices. Stuff the eggs.
Eggs stuffed with pickles
Photo: hickmanseggs.com
Due to the contrasting textures of the products, these deviled eggs are completely different from others.
You will need:
4 eggs, 2 pickles, herbs, mayonnaise, garlic, spices.
Preparation:
Finely chop the cucumbers and mix with crushed garlic, chopped herbs and yolks. Add mayonnaise with spices to the desired taste and consistency, and stuff the egg halves.
