Royal mushroom: what it looks like, recipes for making fly agaric Caesar

Characteristics and description of the mushroom

Amanita Caesar, along with the pale toadstool, belongs to the Amanitov family, the genus Amanita. Latin name: Amanita caesarea. Russian synonyms: Caesar's mushroom, Caesar's mushroom, imperial mushroom, Caesar's mushroom, egg mushroom, ovary mushroom, egg mushroom. The name comes from the title of ancient Roman rulers.

The fly agaric cap is 7–20 cm in diameter, hemispherical in shape, eventually convex or flat, with a grooved edge. The skin color is orange-golden or bright purple. On the cap there are sometimes pieces of the bedspread—flat, large scales. It feels dry to the touch.

The hymenophore (body under the cap) is lamellar. The membranes are golden-canary in color, wide and frequent in the middle, with slightly fringed edges. The spore powder is whitish.

The pulp is light yellow, the color does not change when cut, and it has no characteristic smell or taste. An overripe mushroom gives off hydrogen sulfide.

The leg is 8–12 cm long, 2–3 cm in diameter, orange-yellow, with a smooth surface and a tuberous base. It has the remains of a blanket in the form of a descending wide grooved ring of the same color. Sac-shaped volva up to 6 cm wide, 4–5 cm thick, with a yellowish or orange tint.

The mushroom is included in the Red Book of Ukraine and Germany.

Edibility

This is an edible mushroom, which is considered a delicacy along with white mushrooms, truffles and other well-known representatives (category 1). The pulp is quite strong and dense, has a pleasant aroma reminiscent of hazelnuts.

Caesar's fly agaric.

Used in different forms:

• dried;
• fried (including barbecued);
• boiled;
• marinated.

At a young age, when the spathe completely covers the fruiting body, such fly agaric mushrooms are even consumed fresh, using them in vegetable or meat salads.

Time and place of fruiting in nature

The edible fly agaric is a species with a wide geographic distribution, but it prefers regions with a temperate climate. Prefers acidic soil, deciduous forests with oaks, birches, pine trees, hazel trees, and well-lit places.

In the post-Soviet space it grows in the forests of the Carpathians and Crimea, in the Caucasus, and the Far East. This fruit is found in America, Eurasia, even in the tropical forests of Africa, and is collected in Italy, Germany, and Spain. In European countries, the mushroom is highly valued by chefs and nutritionists. Athonite monks eat it.

The growing, fruiting and harvesting season is from July to October and even November.

Growing at home and in the country

Growing Caesar mushroom at home or on a personal plot has not become particularly widespread due to the technological complexity of the process. To do this, it is necessary to create specific conditions for him, close to those in which he lives in the natural environment.

Moreover, it may take more than one year to obtain the first harvest. There is no official information about the cultivation of this species yet. There are no methodological descriptions of the cultivation process in the public domain. However, some enthusiasts are trying to do this and offer the following method.

To create the necessary environment, you need to have suitable trees on the site, with the roots of which the mushrooms form a symbiosis. How to grow egg mushroom in your summer cottage:

1. Plant the ground fruits shallowly under the trees.
2. Scatter pieces of fly agarics nearby, cover with leaves, and water periodically.
3. Prepare planting material: crumble the specimens brought from the forest into a container and fill with rainwater.
4. Maintain the substrate for 2 days at a temperature slightly above 20 °C. Then pour the mixture onto the planting site.
5. Constantly moisten the plot.

Storage methods

Young mushrooms are suitable for cooking

Like any other mushrooms, “royal” fly agaric mushrooms are stored in several ways:

• refrigerator: it is important that the mushrooms do not come into contact with each other. To do this, each of them needs to be wrapped in a damp, soft natural cloth, and then placed in a common paper bag. The shelf life of such mushrooms is 3-5 days;
• drying: store in glass or plastic jars with airtight lids. This method helps preserve the beneficial properties of fly agarics for 6-12 months;
• freezing: they are first boiled until cooked, then laid out in portions into separate containers and placed in the freezer. The shelf life is no more than 4 months.

False doubles

The egg mushroom differs in a number of features from its inedible relatives, and most importantly, from its poisonous rival, the red fly agaric. The photo shows what they might look like. The main differences between the dangerous double and the noble mushroom are presented in the table below.

Important! In the embryonic stage (the “egg” phase), the edible fruit is similar to the deadly poisonous fly agaric - the pale toadstool. The difference can be detected only on the cut of the cap: in the caesarean mushroom it is yellow, warm saffron, in the toadstool it is cold white.

There is a certain similarity with the saffron floater, however, this species has white plates and a leg.

How to marinate for the winter?

The royal mushroom is distinguished by its versatility. It can be served fried, stewed, pickled and raw. There are a huge number of marinade recipes for the winter, because the taste of this type has forced culinary specialists to work hard.

Sterilization of jars

Sterilizing the pickling container is an important step. It happens as follows:

• Place the lids and jars in a large saucepan, add water and boil over low heat for 10-15 minutes;
• boiled jars are left in hot water for 30-60 minutes;

  
  Sterilization of jars

• The jars are removed and placed in the oven. You should not preheat the oven, because a sharp increase in temperature may cause them to burst;
• the oven is heated to 140˚C and held for up to 10 minutes;
• The oven is turned off, but the jars are not removed. They should be removed immediately before filling.

Sterilizing jars with steam
You can sterilize jars and lids with steam. First you need to wash them with soda and place them over a pan of water with the neck down. The jars are kept over steam for about 15 minutes, after which they are dried.

With vinegar

This is the most common pickling recipe. To prepare, take 4 glasses of water, 1 glass of alcohol vinegar, 0.5 glasses of sugar and a tablespoon of salt. The marinade is boiled and allowed to cool slightly.

Prepared royal mushrooms are boiled in salted water for about 20 minutes. Several onion rings, 2-3 grains of allspice and black pepper, a bay leaf and boiled mushrooms are poured into each jar. The jars are filled with the prepared marinade and screwed shut.

After this, place them in a large saucepan, fill with cold water, and boil over low heat for about 15 minutes.

Note!

You can use this marinade only a month after seaming.

Mushrooms in Korean

Any edible species is suitable for this recipe, but the most delicious is the marinade made from royal mushrooms. For preparation you will need the following ingredients:

• cooked mushrooms – 3.5 kg;
• onions – 1 kg;
• fresh chili pepper – 2 pcs.;
• acetic acid 9% - 1 glass (200 ml);
• fresh carrots – 500 g;
• fresh garlic – 2-3 heads;
• ground coriander – 2 tablespoons;
• sunflower oil – 300 ml;
• ground pepper mixture - 1 teaspoon;
• salt and sugar - 8 tablespoons each.

Korean-style mushrooms
Peeled carrots are grated on a Korean carrot grater and added to boiled mushrooms. Pour in all the necessary spices, salt and sugar, and then mix well.

The onions are peeled and finely chopped. Fry it in vegetable oil until golden brown. Pour the onion into the rest of the ingredients, add vinegar, finely chopped pepper and chopped garlic. All ingredients are mixed well.

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The prepared mixture is laid out in sterilized jars and boiled for 15 minutes in a large saucepan, on the bottom of which a wooden grate should be placed in advance. Hot jars are rolled up with sterilized lids and wrapped in warm cloth so that they cool gradually. After cooling, the jars are transferred to the cellar.

Italian way

Edible fly agaric marinated in this way has a special piquancy. You should prepare the following ingredients:

• 400 g peeled fresh mushrooms;
• 50 ml each of wine vinegar (red) and olive oil;
• 2-3 cloves of garlic;
• about five sprigs of fresh thyme;
• 1 tsp mustard beans;
• spices to taste.

Mushrooms in Italian
Prepared mushrooms are placed in a saucepan, filled with water and placed on the stove. Boil them for at least 20 minutes, then pour them into a colander and let the water drain thoroughly.

For the marinade, cut the garlic into slices and place in a saucepan. Mustard and spices are also placed there, after which 1 liter of water is poured and placed on the stove. The brine is boiled for about 7 minutes, then vinegar and olive oil are added and boiled for a few more minutes.

The mushrooms are placed in a container with a tight lid and filled with cooled brine, and the brine should be 1 cm above the mushroom mass. The resulting marinade is placed in the refrigerator for several days, stirring it occasionally.

Taste category, benefits and possible harm

In terms of its nutritional value and edibility, the mushroom belongs to the first category and has a wonderful taste.

The positive and negative properties of Amanita caesarea have been studied quite well. It contains no toxic substances, so it cannot cause significant damage to the body. But a beneficial effect from its use has been established.

First of all, edible fly agaric is low in calories - about 20 kcal, that is, it is a dietary product. It contains minimal amounts of carbohydrates and fats, but a lot of protein. It also contains active acids: fumaric, succinic, ascorbic, citric, malic, alpha-ketoglutaric. The fruit is not deprived of vitamins - A, PP, D and group B; microelements - iron, manganese, sodium, potassium, selenium and others.

Medicinal properties and contraindications

It has been proven that when consumed systematically, Caesar mushroom has a positive effect on the functioning of the heart and nervous system, increases immunity, improves metabolism and hematopoietic processes, and exhibits antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It contains a compound that inhibits Bacillus subtilis and staphylococcal infections.

Ergosterol, used to produce vitamins, is extracted from the edible fly agaric.

Alternative medicine uses an extract from it to cure cancer and recommends eating it to prevent malignant neoplasms.

The mushroom reduces the manifestations of atherosclerosis. And the tincture from it has proven itself in the fight against arthrosis and rheumatism - it is used to rub joints.

Contraindications for its use include allergies, gout and urolithiasis.

Application

The royal mushroom has found application in various areas, but it is most widely used in cooking and medicine.

In cooking

In the Roman Empire, this mushroom was considered a delicacy. Most often it was dried and fried. Now in some restaurants in Europe they are served for true gourmets. Moreover, these mushrooms can be eaten not only after heat treatment, but also raw. Like other mushrooms, you can prepare many delicious dishes from them, the recipes of which each housewife has her own.

For example, cooking a dish with bacon requires the use of young mushrooms with elastic caps. And mushrooms baked with suluguni cheese are a dish of Georgian cuisine. You can cook different dishes, here your imagination has room to run wild.

In medicine

The imperial mushroom has many healing properties that are due to its composition. It improves vision, reduces fatigue, improves the functioning of the cardiovascular system by thinning the blood. In addition, it improves memory and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the stomach, liver and kidneys.

Its healing properties help strengthen the immune system by improving intestinal microflora and suppressing the activity of viruses and bacteria. Thanks to the action of this mushroom, damaged skin areas are restored faster. They also have a calming effect, and, very importantly, help in the fight against malignant tumors in oncology.

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