The porcini mushroom turns pink on the cut. Bile fungus (gorchak)

Fairly common in middle lane Russian gall fungus (gorchak) also has the name of a false white fungus.

There are several scientific theories about the origin of its bitterness, which cannot be destroyed by any culinary processing procedures.

The closest to the truth is the opinion that the pulp of this fungus contains toxic substances that destroy liver cells.

In this regard, the symptoms of poisoning may appear several weeks or months after eating it.

Poisoning, in fact, is quite rare due to the fact that during exposure to high temperatures during processing, bitterness increases many times over. It is hardly possible to call such a dish edible. Most often, poisoning occurs when using a false porcini mushroom for pickling and salting.

AT canned bitterness can be masked by various seasonings and vinegar.

Edible look-alikes- this is true, boletus and. Distinctive feature gall fungus is the color of the spongy substance with reverse side hats.

Unlike edible specimens, false porcini has a pink tint. When cut, the leg quickly darkens and becomes brown. The mesh that covers the leg fiber also has a brown tint.

Description of gall fungus

You can meet false boletus in any region of the Russian Federation. It grows actively from late June to mid-October, depending on weather conditions. With early frosts, it can complete the growing season at the end of September.

It grows both in groups of 5-15 individuals, and singly on the outskirts of forests with a rare planting of trees. It prefers light loamy soils and sandstones for growth, richly fertilized with fallen needles.

According to the description, the gall fungus resembles a white mushroom - it is a massive strong leg, which is filled with fibrous pulp. In diameter, an adult can reach 7 cm. The outer layer is fibrous, covered with a dense brown or brown mesh.

Its cap is a spongy formation with a thin layer in the upper part of a dense porous substance in the form of pulp. Spongy substance of a pinkish hue, very bitter in taste.

When even a small amount gets on the tongue, it causes a strong burning sensation. The outer surface of the cap is covered with a dense film, which during growth can change its color from pale brown to rich ocher.

As they grow older, the hemispherical shape straightens out and becomes like a saucer, the inner side of which resembles a pillow.

Distinctive feature- This fungus is never damaged by insects. Due to this, he looks very attractive. But it's not worth taking it into your basket.

When hit in a mushroom picker, even a small piece false porcini fungus, the taste of the dish will be irrevocably spoiled.

Be sure to look below, in our photo gallery, how the bile fungus mustard looks like in the photo.

How does poisoning manifest itself?

As mentioned above, some biologists classify the mustard mushroom as inedible, but not poisonous specimens. Scientists agree that eating this handsome forest is impossible only because of its unpleasant taste.

Foreign colleagues refute this theory. In the pulp of the false porcini fungus, toxic substances are released that are quickly absorbed into the human blood during any, even tactile, contacts. These substances penetrate into the liver cells, where they show their destructive effect.

On the first day after the "tongue test" during the collection of this mushroom, a person may feel slight dizziness and weakness. In the future, all symptoms disappear. The first signs appear after a few weeks.

Problems begin with the separation of bile. The functioning of the liver is impaired. At high concentrations of toxins, cirrhosis of the liver may develop.

Thus, you yourself can draw the correct conclusion about whether it is possible to eat bile false white fungus and whether it is edible for humans. One has only to think about the fact that even forest animals, insects and worms do not try to feast on the attractive pulp of this representative of the mushroom kingdom.

White mushroom, or boletus, is a forest mushroom traditionally beloved in our area, which is rightfully considered the king among edible mushrooms. Finding a clearing with porcini mushrooms is considered good luck for every mushroom picker, because porcini mushrooms can be dried, boiled, salted and used in many favorite dishes. However, you should be careful about collecting forest mushrooms, because poisonous doubles are often found, namely false white mushrooms.

What does a false white mushroom look like?

On a note

A real white mushroom looks like a dense, fleshy mushroom with a thick stalk and an elastic brown cap, which in some species can be white and red-brown.

As a rule, all poisonous doubles of mushrooms are carefully disguised as real ones. delicious mushrooms, however, there are some differences that will help distinguish a false white mushroom from a good one. wild mushroom. But false white mushrooms are very similar to real ones, so it is important to find their main differences.

One of the first false porcini mushrooms that can be found in the forest is mustard or gall fungus. Outwardly, it is very similar to a real edible white mushroom, but its flesh contains a high concentration of substances that give it a bitter taste. False white gall fungus can be distinguished by the color of the cut. In a real porcini mushroom, the cut will be white, and a false bile porcini fungus will acquire on the cut pink color. In addition, the false porcini mushroom will have a mesh-like pattern on the top of the stalk, which is never seen in a real edible porcini mushroom. And one more sign by which you can distinguish an edible porcini mushroom from a false one is a tubular layer false fungus has a pinkish or whitish tint, while in a real porcini mushroom it is yellow.

Another type of false white fungus is satanic mushroom. It is so dangerous that just 1 g of this fungus can cause serious food poisoning in humans. The satanic mushroom belongs to the species of mushrooms, and therefore often becomes the object of prey for inexperienced mushroom pickers. However, there are several differences by which false white mushrooms of this species can be distinguished from edible ones. The first difference is in the color of the stem of the mushroom. Often there is a satanic mushroom, which has a whitish, grayish and olive-brown cap color and a velvety texture, which is also characteristic of a real porcini mushroom. However, the color of the leg should alert if it has shades of red, bright orange and red-brown. Any of the shades of red in combination with another color is the first sign of a satanic mushroom. So be sure to bypass it. The pulp of the satanic mushroom on the cut also instantly turns pink or turns red, blue colors. When buying or picking mushrooms, always pay attention to the cut so as not to buy dangerous poisonous false white mushrooms. The old false white mushroom has all the signs, and on the cut will have an unpleasant odor, which is also a difference.

Separately, I would like to say about another mushroom from the category of white mushrooms, which is called the Polish mushroom. This mushroom from the mushroom family is edible, but it is often confused and not taken for fear of poisoning. But you can also distinguish a Polish mushroom by a cut, which first turns blue, then brightens. Smell Polish mushroom soft mushroom pleasant, the leg has a more even shape. The color of the cap is dark red, brown-red, the flesh is fleshy. The porous lower part of the cap turns blue when pressed, which distinguishes the Polish mushroom from other false white mushrooms, has a light yellow color and a small notch at the stem.

Poisoning by false porcini mushrooms

If you accidentally put a false porcini mushroom in a basket and cooked it, then the symptoms of poisoning may appear as early as 20-30 minutes after eating a dish of mushrooms. These are vomiting, nausea, severe diarrhea and stomach pain. If you find at least one of these symptoms after eating any mushrooms, be sure to call a doctor to do a gastric lavage and rid the body of toxins.