In the people it is called bitter, bitter, hare mushroom, false porcini or false boletus. In Latin they call tylopilus felleus. Well, the official name sounds like a bile fungus of the boletus family. It is quite common in the regions of central Russia and has a very dubious reputation. Although there are methods for processing it, it is still not recommended to eat it.
Bile mushroom. Appearance description
This mushroom is sometimes called false white for a reason. He really looks like him. Its leg is massive and strong: in an adult mushroom it can reach seven centimeters in diameter, and ten in length. Slightly widened at the base. It is covered on the outside with a fibrous mesh layer of brown or brown color. Places on the breaks acquire a pinkish tint.
The cap is usually about twice as wide as the stem. In "young animals" it has the shape of a hemisphere of light brown color. In more mature representatives of the species, it is more convex and resembles a chestnut in color. When the gall fungus ages, its hat cracks with age and takes the form of a pillow. Its color becomes closer to yellowish brown. Depending on the region of distribution, the “headdress” of this mushroom can have different shades: reddish, gray, yellow, brown ...
The outer side of the cap is velvety to the touch. But this is only in dry weather. If it's raining, it becomes smooth and slippery. From the inside, the hat is pinkish-white in young mushrooms and dirty pink in the “older ones”.
A notable feature of the appearance of the bitter man is that he always looks “dressed to the nines”. Such a forest dandy without a single flaw. You will not find a chip, a hole, or a dent on his body. This is all because bittersweet is not eaten by insects or worms. And people, by the way, are not advised, but more on that below.
Where and when does gall fungus grow?
Mushroom pickers can meet a false boletus from the end of June to October inclusive. If autumn is early and cold, then the life span is limited to September.
The gall fungus loves soils fertilized with pine needles. Therefore, it grows mainly among Christmas trees and pines. True, some originals also settle among birches.
For life, the mushroom chooses forest outskirts. Clings directly to the "feet" of the trees. Prefers rotten trunks or even stumps.
It grows more often singly or in small groups - large "companies" and abundant harvests are rare. Therefore, the mustard is not very familiar to mushroom pickers, and they sometimes find it difficult to distinguish it from white. Only experienced professionals can easily cope with the task.
Bile mushroom. How to distinguish it from a boletus in appearance?
You probably need to start with the fact that white fungus almost never chooses such places as mustard. You will not find it at the roots of rotten trees and stumps.
Outwardly, white and gall mushrooms are very similar. But the first hat is darker on top and white, greenish or yellow inside. The second one is pink.
The leg of the porcini mushroom is slightly lighter than the leg of the mustard. And the mesh on it is dimmer. And at the breaks, the leg does not have the habit of turning pink.
Another important distinguishing feature is the untouched beauty, which has already been noted above. Neither the porcini mushroom nor the boletus (which the bile mushroom also looks like) have such an enviable property. After all, they are happy to try all and sundry.
Taste differences of bitter gourd
To answer the question: "Is the gall mushroom edible or not?" - it will be enough to lick it. Bitterness will immediately appear on the tongue, and then a burning sensation.
The mushroom got its name absolutely deservedly. Its taste resembles bile, and this pungent bitterness is not killed even by high temperatures when boiling or frying. Moreover, it only gets stronger from this! And the whole dish is “infected” with it. One small piece of mustard is enough to ruin a large pot of soup.
The only thing that can muffle the bitterness a little is vinegar and other marinades. Therefore, the gall fungus in pickles can sometimes be skipped. But some argue that this is very bad, because bitter taste is not only disgusting, but also harmful to health. Therefore, it is better to recognize it from the first spoon.
What is the danger of a false mushroom?
In fact, the opinions of scientists on the account of the toxicity of bitter gourd differ. Domestic experts tend to consider it simply vile in taste and therefore unsuitable for food. And their foreign colleagues are sure: the bile fungus is poisonous! In their opinion, its bitterness is caused by the presence of toxins. Which, getting into the body, destroy the liver.
The action does not appear immediately. On the first day after contact with a fungus (even tactile), a person may experience weakness and dizziness. Then the symptoms disappear and appear with new force already two weeks later. Interruptions begin with the release of bile, and everything can end with full-fledged cirrhosis of the liver.
Which of the scientists is right and who is not, ordinary mushroom pickers should not judge. But just in case, bitterness is best avoided. Do not taste it and even if possible do not touch it.
The gall mushroom, with a photo and description of which you can find on this page, is not poisonous in itself, but even prolonged heat treatment does not relieve it of bitterness. Therefore, if you are concerned about the question of poisonous gall fungus or not, you don’t have to worry - it’s impossible to poison them. True, you will not be able to eat this mushroom because of unsatisfactory taste.
It is because of bitterness that the second name of the gall fungus is bitter. An unpleasant taste does not prevent this gift of the forest from being the object of hunting for various animals. For example, squirrels are happy to drag mustards into their hollows, and hares do not disdain gall fungus.
Below you will find out what the gall fungus looks like in the photo, get information about where it grows and how it is used in traditional medicine.
Cap of gall fungus (Tylopilus felleus) (diameter 5-15 cm): pillow-shaped, brown, brown, yellow and chestnut. Feels velvety with a little fluff and dry. After rain and in a humid environment becomes a little sticky.
Leg (height 4-13 cm): cream, ocher, brown or grey. It has a cylindrical shape, slightly inflated from top to bottom. At the base there is an unexpressed mesh pattern. On the cut, it may slightly turn pink or blush.
Look at the photo, gall fungus: the flesh of its cap is white, and the color of the flesh of the leg changes when exposed to air. No pronounced odor.
Tubular layer: pinkish color, smallish pores, rounded shape.
How to distinguish a gall fungus from twins
Twins of the gall fungus (gorchaka) are mushrooms and boletus. If you do not know how to distinguish a gall fungus from similar ones, pay attention to the stem and scales. Unlike mushrooms, mustard does not have small scales on the skin, and in boletus, the color of the mesh on the leg is lighter.
Where it grows and its application
When growing: from late June to mid-October in Europe and Asia.
Sometimes in the common people or in everyday life you can hear a whole collection of names - bitter, bitter, hare mushroom, false white or false boletus - but this does not mean that acquaintances talk about several completely different mushrooms, but vice versa.
Its official name is gall fungus (lat. tylopilus felleus), known for its belonging to the family of bolets. It is predominantly distributed in the regions of central Russia and is not popular among foresters due to its dubious reputation, because even with numerous processing recipes at hand, you can’t use the gall fungus.
Bile mushroom. Appearance description
And yet the object of our attention received the name of false white for a reason. Possessing the most similar appearance, bittersweet has a massive and strong leg, the diameter of which often reaches 7 cm, and even more in length - up to 9 cm.
The base is expanded, outside the characteristic fibrous mesh layer, predominantly brown or brown. At the break points, the color palette instantly changes, acquiring all the shades of the pink palette.
As for the cap, it is many times larger than the stem itself, takes the form of a hemisphere, painted in light brown.
But with age, the gall fungus changes its shade to chestnut, and the cap stretches and is even more convex.
The more years the fungus has, the more the hemisphere is exposed to cracks and fractures, it resembles a pillow. Changes also apply to color - the older the gall fungus, the brighter the yellow-brown hue.
A distinctive feature is the amazing inviolability of the false boletus - not a single chip or dent. This is due to the fact that insects purposefully avoid the mushroom, not daring to taste it. Which is not recommended for humans.
Attention! Do not forget to clarify the appearance with the foresters of your region, due to the wide variety of color palettes - representatives of the species can have a “headdress” of both reddish and gray shades.
Where and when does gall fungus grow?
You can see a collection of gall mushrooms in the forest from August until the cold days of October, especially low temperatures significantly shorten the period until September. False boletus in most cases prefers exclusively coniferous soils, which are in abundance among the growth of spruces and pines.
Sometimes you can see a representative of the species under a birch, which happens extremely rarely. But bitterness does not like to grow in the wilderness, choosing the outskirts and clinging to the roots of trees (especially a lot near rotten trunks and stumps).
Most often, a single representative or a group in a modest amount is found in one place; it is not possible to see the concentration of bile copies in one sector.
It is for this reason that the gall fungus often ends up in the basket along with the rest, only an experienced specialist can distinguish the substitution.
Bile mushroom. The difference between gall fungus and boletus
And first of all, it is worth mentioning - the resettlement of useful mushrooms differs markedly from the preferences of the mustard, the same boletus cannot be found near a rotten tree, rhizome or hemp.
The similarity of white and gall mushrooms is undeniable, but even here there are some nuances. For example, pay attention to the color scheme of the "headdresses" - the cap of the porcini mushroom has a dark tint on top and a greenish yellow on the inside, while the false white is known for its pink interior.
The leg should also be of interest to the inveterate forester - in the porcini mushroom it has a pronounced light shade than in the mustard. A distinctive feature is the dullness of the mesh on the original representatives, a bitter one cannot boast of this.
And, as mentioned earlier, the gall fungus is never eaten by insects, which cannot be said about the boletus or white mushroom. As can be seen, even such an exact identity has differences.
But, in order to avoid a mistake in the choice, the specialist is advised to look at the photo of the gall fungus before going hunting. So it will be much easier to distinguish the substitution and choose useful product for future meals.
Bile mushroom. Edible or not? Taste qualities
The representative of the species fully justifies the name - just lick the cap of the mushroom, after which bitterness will instantly be felt, and as a result, a burning sensation.
Bitterness, which is produced by the gall fungus, is not destroyed by exposure to high temperatures, neither boiling nor roasting will help - from all this, the amount of bitter substance only increases. Moreover, one piece of gall fungus is enough to “infect” the entire dish.
A softening effect is exerted by marinade or vinegar, which make it possible not to notice bitterness in food. But it is still not recommended to use it in order to avoid further health problems.
Photo of gall fungus
The bile fungus (gorchak), which is quite common in central Russia, 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.
In canned form, bitterness can be masked by various seasonings and vinegar.
Edible twins are true, boletus and. A distinctive feature of the gall fungus is the color of the spongy substance on the back of the cap.
Unlike edible specimens, the false white mushroom 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 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 in the process of 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.
A distinctive feature is that this mushroom is never damaged by insects. Due to this, he looks very attractive. But it's not worth taking it into your basket.
If even a small piece of a false porcini mushroom gets into the mushroom box, 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.
The gall fungus belongs to the coniferous fungus family. It is not an edible mushroom. You can eat it, but before that, it must undergo thermal procedures in order to get rid of the poison. It tastes bitter, hence its second name "bitter". In case you cook edible mushrooms together with the gall fungus, then it will transfer its bitterness to the normal fungus, which will spoil the taste of the dish.
Characteristic
Outwardly, the mustard looks like a porcini mushroom and a boletus. In the people, because of its similarity with the porcini mushroom, it is called the "false porcini mushroom". But there are features that distinguish it from other fruits:
- Pink color at the tubular layer;
- The brown shade of the mesh on the leg of the mustard;
- In the cut, the mushroom has a pinkish flesh.
The cap of an inedible fruit can be of different sizes, from four to fifteen centimeters. Young fruits have the shape of a hat closer to spherical, and already mature mushrooms, it is rounded and grows. The color of the hat itself can also vary, from yellow-brown to light brown. The most common color is white, like a white fungus.
Gorchak has a pulp of a fibrous structure, it has almost no smell, or the aroma that all mushrooms have. The leg of the mustard plaster has the shape of a cylinder with a slight decrease at the base. The size of the leg can also be different, in the aisles from three to thirteen centimeters, and its diameter is not large, about three centimeters. Over time, the leg of the mustard begins to take cover with a mesh, a dense structure with white or gray fibers. Inedible mustard has round pores, in some cases they can take on an angular shape.
The most important difference between the mustard is that a dark shade begins to appear at the break point. And also the fact that insects such as worms are very rarely found in this type of fungus.
Most often bitter can be found in coniferous areas. It grows in sandy soil. They grow both on some soil and on any stumps. It can live alone or in groups. The period of appearance of inedible bitterness is approximately in July and lasts until September. The activity of the emergence of a new crop depends on weather conditions. They grow most actively during the warm period of time. But a very large cluster of them in one place can rarely be seen. The most favorable period for the appearance of bitterness is the moment when heat comes after the rains.
Signs that can distinguish bitter from edible
Gorchak is a fairly common species in a temperate continental climate. Therefore, it is not difficult to confuse it among other species. In order to avoid getting an inedible fruit into the basket, it is recommended to know its features. The main differences of bitterness are manifested in the following:
- The most obvious characteristic of bitterness, which immediately betrays it, is its taste. He is extremely bitter. You can check the found fruit in the following way: you just need to lick it. If a bitter taste is immediately felt on the tongue, then this is bitter taste, since neither white nor boletus has a bitter taste. But here, too, not everything is so simple, situations have been noticed that for some people who have licked mustard, the taste does not seem bitter, but, on the contrary, sweet.
- After the gall fungus is cut, its flesh immediately acquires a pinkish-brown color. No other fruit, which can be confused with mustard, darkens after being cut, but the exception is the pinkish white fungus, which, when cut, begins to turn pink around the edges.
- The leg of the mustard has a coating in the form of a brown mesh. The stem of an edible fruit does not have this coating. The boletus is covered with white or dark scales, which is associated with a birch trunk. This type of these fruits, like boletus, also has a mesh on the leg, but it differs in its shape and density.
Consequences of eating a false porcini mushroom
Gorchak refers to fruits that are not recommended to be eaten, but poison is not present in its composition. Since even worms and other insects avoid this fruit, it is clear that it is not recommended for human consumption either. Its pulp contains toxic substances, which contribute to the bitter taste. Since heat treatment enhances the bitterness of mustard, it is very difficult for a person to eat at one time. a large number of false white fungus. It is for this reason that gall fungus poisoning is a very rare occurrence. The most common cases of food poisoning are observed if the mushroom was confused with mushrooms similar to it and ended up in conservation. When preserving these fruits, vinegar and a variety of spices are used, and this hides the bitterness of the false white fungus, which increases the risk of poisoning. Some scientists argue that even with direct contact with it, you can get a toxic effect. If the toxic substances of bitter gourd got into human body, then they first of all begin to destroy his liver. The first symptoms that signal poisoning do not begin to appear immediately, but may only make themselves felt after a week or even a month. The main symptoms of poisoning include the following:
- Dizziness and weakness in the body. They appear on the first day after the use of bitterness. This symptom does not last long;
- If an inedible fetus gets inside a person, some problems may arise in the separation of bile. In this regard, it was called the gall fungus;
- After a week or a month, the toxic substances that make up the inedible fruit begin to act on the liver, destroying it. If a person has eaten a sufficiently large number of inedible fruits, then he may develop cirrhosis of the liver.
Medicinal features of the gall fungus
Oddly enough, but this is inedible mushroom has medicinal properties. Some substances were extracted from it, which are actively used in medicine. One such ingredient is tilopilane. It is a substance that stimulates the immune system in humans. This substance improves the concentration of phagocytosis, which is a process that allows certain substances to seek out and fight foreign microorganisms in the body. In the nineteenth century, inedible mustard was tested, and scientists proved that it can fight cancer cells. In addition to these advantages, it contains a component that is able to overcome bacterial cells.
An interesting fact is that in old times bitter was used as a ritual dish. This phenomenon was symbolic, since his round caps had a very bitter taste. They were a symbol of the bitterness of the loss of a loved one. At the same time, it was used in medicine as a choleretic agent.
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