There is something poetic in thinking that mushrooms and fungi are the same, but the reality is that although we use both names interchangeably to refer to these productsThe truth is that they are not the same.
Gastronomic flag of autumn, there are many Spaniards who take advantage of their getaways to the countryside during these dates to try to fill the baskets with something to put in their mouths. Nevertheless, the mushroom concept and the fungi concept do not refer to the same thing.
Some believe that mushrooms are all those products that have a circular cap, while mushrooms are only those products that have a tubular structure. In any case, both beliefs are wrong.
In fact, what we can tell you is that the chanterelles, the chanterelles, the truffles, the trumpets of death, the morels, the boletus, the mushrooms or the oyster mushrooms they are 100% mushrooms, but at the same time they are fungi. Why?
How are mushrooms different from fungi?
Actually when we talk about the Fungi kingdom, mushrooms and fungi differ only for a semantic issue. A mushroom does not have to be colored, nor does it have to need a round hat, nor does it have to be underground.
The mistake we usually make is to confuse the part for the whole.. That is, in this type of living being, the mushroom is the visible part of the fungus (which is made up of mushroom and mycelium, the latter being the non-visible and underground part, with the appearance of fibers or hairs, sometimes misnamed root) .
It does not matter therefore that the mushroom is round, elongated, flattened, vertical, of different colors or of different sizes: any externally visible surface outside the soil of a fungus is going to be the mushroom.
The drama of why mushrooms appear
Although it may seem a bit melodramatic, the reality is that mushrooms only appear when the fungus (the mycelium) interprets that it is in danger. Due to atmospheric circumstances such as intense cold, excessive heat or abundant rainfall, the mycelium believes that it is time to generate the mushroom, since it contains the spores that will allow the survival of the species.
Hofmeister® Horsehair Mushroom Brush, 7.7 cm, Suitable for All Fungi, Gentle Mushroom Cleaning, Sand Dry Cleaning, Made in Germany, EU Beechwood
So to speak, the fact that we see a mushroom, is the warning signal that the underground part of the fungus transmits, believing itself to be in danger and thus forcing itself to generate a mushroom that will disperse the spores that will end up becoming new mycelia and new mushrooms.
Pictures | istock
In DAP | 53 recipes with mushrooms and mushrooms to get all the flavor of autumn
In DAP | Types of edible mushrooms: these are the 6 most common in Spain