Mushroom lovers see autumn far away when the spring, but also the end of winter brings joy to the kitchen with fresh mushrooms. In addition to morels and perrechicos, common in the repertoire of the best chefs, at this time also we can find the tasty gurumelosa particular mushroom that lives, above all, in the south and southwest of the peninsula.
Its common name may not sound very sophisticated, but it perfectly represents the popular and regional character of this spring mushroom, with a physical appearance that is perhaps also more inconspicuous and that could go unnoticed by the inexperienced eye, but which is highly appreciated in areas of Portugal and Andalusia, especially in the province of Huelvawhere parties are even held in his honor.
What are gurumelos
As we have been saying, gurumelos is the colloquial name by which the ponderosa fly agarica fungus that as such belongs, taxonomically, to the kingdom fungion the basidiomycetes division (Basidiomycota), in which we find all common edible and toxic mushrooms, among other mushrooms, and whose name is due to the fact that they produce basidia with basidiospores.
The gurumelo is from the family of the Amanitaceaegender Amanita, a large group of mushrooms formed by some of the most appreciated gastronomically. The popular name of gurumelo comes from Portuguese cogumelo, which designates all mushrooms. Our neighbors designate the ponderosa fly agaric under various names, such as silarca, tortulho, tubareiro, renota, túbara, turva da terra, criadilha, miscaro or púcara da quaresma.
It is a large and bulging volva (base) mushroom, with a thick and compact foot in its youngest stage, hollowing out as it matures. At the beginning, the gurumelo shows a hemispherical young hat that gradually acquires a more convex with age, to end up acquiring a flatter profile in its most adult stage. Many specimens easily exceed 10 cm in diameter.
The sheets, rather tight, have a pale cream color that tend to darken over time, but rarely become completely white. On the contrary, the mushroom itself tends to come out of the ground with a very thick cuticle. Whitewhich gradually develops more ocher or pink tones, generally being a brown fungus in its most mature stagealthough the color can be confused because it is almost always stained with earth, and it reddens immediately when cut.
Where does it grow and what is its best season?
We already advanced it in the introduction; the gurumelo is known as the first mushroom of the year for appearing late winter and the first weeks of spring, depending on the season of rainy From this epoch. When the winter has been excessively dry, the rains at the end of March or April are rarely able to bring the season to a head.
It is a mushroom that grows in very specific areas of the Iberian Peninsula, concentrating almost entirely on the southern or southwestern Spanishand southeast of Portugal, also with a more sporadic presence in North Africa. The province where it is most lavish is Huelva and neighboring areas, although it also stands out notably in Badajoz and nearby regions, extending to Salamanca, Toledo, Seville, Córdoba or Jaén.
Huelva It is the great mecca for lovers of these mushrooms, even holding events such as the Gurumelo Cross-Border Gastronomic Fair in the municipality of Paymogo, whose dates may vary depending on the season, generally in the last weeks of March.
Tips for Finding and Collecting Gurumelos
In addition to always remembering the general advice that must be taken into account when going out to look for mushrooms, and the regulations in force in each region in your case, to hunt gurumelos it is advisable to wait for the temperatures to rise a little after the last rains of winteror the first spring.
It depends a bit on each year, but its season usually extends between ssix and eight weekson average, sometimes from February, beginning to appear in the Huelva area and moving more towards the center and southwest of the peninsula as the weeks go by, and the last specimens can even be found in Jaén in May.
The gurumelo is collected by pulling the mushroom out of the ground by levering it with a punch.
The easiest thing is to find them in jaralesmountain areas of oaks and cork oaks, also between pine forests and mountains more inland. It appears half-buried in dry, slate soils, and emits a damp smell a distinctive sign that helps to differentiate it from fungi that are similar in appearance. It is not recommended to collect them very young, when they look like tight bulbs or almost eggs, because they can be mistaken for inedible mushrooms.
Instead of a razor, experts use metal punches that sticks into the nearby ground to act as a lever and extract the entire fungus from the foot, without breaking it. For distinguish the gurumelo of the fly agaricpoisonous, it is advised scrape the mushroom and verify that the meat oxidizes very quickly, acquiring a pink color. If it doesn’t, it should be discarded.
How to use gurumelo in the kitchen
Gurumelos are mushrooms and, as such, have a short shelf life once harvested. It is convenient to keep them uncleaned in an opaque paper bag or between sheets of kitchen paper, in the least cold part of the fridge. To clean them, you can use the traditional brush and cloth method, or use water, drying them very, very well.
This delicious mushroom is very fleshy and has a firm texture, with an intense moist forest flavor and slight sweetness, very versatile to combine with all kinds of ingredients and dishes both from the more Mediterranean tradition and from the interior. Pretty much any of the best recipes we have on Direct to the Palate with mushrooms can be prepared with gurumelos.
To appreciate its flavor in its splendor, you can simply cook it on the grill. or grilled with good oil, coarse salt and parsley or thyme, and they work wonderfully with legumes in stews and stewsmore forceful meats, fish such as cod or marinara sauces with shellfish, without forgetting the classic combination with egg in scrambled eggs and tortillas, rice dishes, pasta and croquettes.
Photos | iStock – Blue Thistle – Viraco – Rafatorrescusa
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