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With the arrival of summer, the time of waiting begins for any mushroom picker. Towards the end of July, as soon as the first heavy rains have passed, the richness of the forest - mushrooms - is ripening. “Silent hunters” armed with baskets often stumble upon a strong mushroom, which, like boletus, turns blue when cut, which is why it deserves the name “bruise.” It belongs to the tubular cap mushrooms of the Gyroporaceae family. A photo of the bruise mushroom - a general view and a cross-section - clearly demonstrates its differences and will help you recognize this representative in the forest.
Where does the bruise mushroom grow?
The bruise is most often found under birch trees, on sandy soils. The habitat of the fungus is the entire territory of the CIS. It especially prefers northern regions, as it does not tolerate hot climates. It is practically not found in spruce forests, but mixed and deciduous forests are rich in bruises. Most often, the fungus grows under birch trees, with the roots of which it forms mycorrhiza - a special symbiosis of mycelium and the roots of higher plants.
For growth and development, the bruise needs moisture and moderate warmth, so most often this representative of the Gyroporov family is found on the north side, avoiding the bright sun.
Under oaks, chestnuts and birches you can find doubles of this mushroom, which have a similar name, but do not turn blue when cut. Chestnut and oak bruises have a characteristic bitterness, which is associated with the sap of the trees: the characteristic taste of oak bark remains even in the cooked dish.
What does a mushroom bruise look like?
The bruise has a convex cap, which becomes flatter and wider as it matures. Bruises grow up to 14 - 16 cm in diameter. Their cap is colored, depending on the tree with which the mycorrhiza was created by the fungal mycelium. The color varies from light to brown. It is often confused with porcini mushroom, because they are really very similar.
The bruise's stalk is as thick and strong as that of the white species. At the root it is thickened, as if stuffed with cotton wool. Closer to the upper part, there are cavities in the leg. The cap is velvety, sometimes smooth, but most often has a bumpy surface, as if covered with scales. The older you are, the more irregularities the cap has. From below it has a dense tubular structure, initially white, but turning yellow with age. This is due to the release of yellow spore powder.
The snow-white flesh of this mushroom representative acquires a creamy hue with age. But when broken, this color remains for only a few seconds, after which it turns blue. A similar reaction is caused by the presence of the natural antibiotic bolethol, due to which the fungus was almost exterminated, was included in the Red Book, but, fortunately, in 2005 it again increased its growing area and was excluded from the list of rare plants.
Is the bruise mushroom edible or not?
The mushroom is absolutely edible if it does not grow in landfills, areas of former industries, factories or landfills.Boletaceae tend to absorb harmful substances from the soil and accumulate them in themselves. Therefore, when going on a “silent hunt”, you need to make sure that the places where you collect mushrooms are ecologically clean.
Taste qualities of mushroom
A freshly cut bruise has a subtle nutty aroma. The pulp does not spread after cooking and retains its dense structure. Because of this similarity with the porcini mushroom and boletus, the bruise is classified as a valuable species. Bruise is widely used in cooking: it is dried and boiled, pickled and frozen. Among the descriptions of dishes and photos on the Internet, the easiest way to prepare bruise mushroom is to fry it with potatoes.
The characteristic mushroom aroma in a dish or sauce leaves no doubt about the nutritional value of the bruise. You can store the boiled mass in the refrigerator, vegetable department, at a temperature not exceeding 4 oC. Freshly picked ones do not store for more than a week.
Benefits and harm to the body
In addition to boletol, bruise contains minerals and antioxidants, which makes its consumption healthy. However, gyroporus is not suitable as food for people suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and biliary tract. You can use it with caution if you have kidney diseases.
False doubles
As noted above, blue gyroporus cannot be confused with a poisonous mushroom due to the unusual reaction of the pulp to pressure or contact with air. But you can still make a mistake. When pressed, the bruise acquires a light blue tint, but never becomes darker. But the Junkville boletus (Boletus junquilleus), which looks very much like a bruise, turns almost black.
Junquille boletus (Boletus junquilleus) in the photo:
But even if you confuse these two mushrooms, there is nothing to worry about. Yunkville boletus is edible. This semi-white mushroom also has a characteristic bitter taste, as it grows under oak and beech trees. With proper preparation, the bitterness can be eliminated.
The bruise can be confused with the oak and chestnut gyroporus, but the error is immediately detected: the chestnut and oak counterparts do not turn blue. These types of fungi have a common origin and structure. Chestnut or birch bruises are not boiled, but dried. With this method, the characteristic bitterness is removed from mushroom preparations.
Blue oak (Boletus luridus) in the photo:
Chestnut gyroporus (Gyroporus castaneus):
Gyroporus, growing under a birch tree, on the contrary, has a delicate taste and aroma, for which it is highly valued in gastronomy:
Collection rules
It was not for nothing that the bruise was included in the Red Book; it was on the verge of extinction, including due to improper collection. Not only a bruise, but also any other mushrooms should not be pulled out by the roots. With this method, the mycelium is damaged and killed. The mycelium is capable of growing several meters and producing dozens of fruiting bodies, but one careless movement and the complex fungal organism will no longer be able to give joy to another hunter. You need to carefully cut off the found crop with a sharp knife, not too close to the root.
In addition, you cannot collect mushrooms along roads, near industrial enterprises, even abandoned ones, or landfills.
How to cook mushroom bruise
To prepare the bruise mushroom, you need to decide on the purpose: whether the crop will be eaten immediately or stored for the winter.
For reserves, it is recommended to dry the mushrooms. To do this, the bruises are cleared of forest debris and strung on threads or laid out in a special dryer. Large specimens need to be cut, small mushrooms can be dried whole.
If you plan to cook a dish or marinate a product, the mushroom mass should be boiled.
To do this you need:
- Pour water into the pan at a ratio of 1:3.
- Place the mushrooms in boiling water and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes.
- Drain the water and fill the pan with fresh water.
- Bring to a boil again, but with the mushrooms.
- After boiling, reduce heat and cook the product for 15 minutes.
You can make any dish with boiled mushroom mass: soup, stew or gravy, as well as pickled preparations. Each housewife has her own recipes for preparing mushrooms at hand, for example, creamy gravy from bruises with chicken breast.
For 500 g of chicken breast fillet you need to take:
- 200 - 300 g mushrooms;
- 2 medium onions;
- 100 ml of cream 10% fat (if you don’t have cream, you can replace it with milk, about 0.5 l).
Preparation procedure:
- Mushrooms and chicken fillet, cut as desired, are fried in oil over high heat for 1 - 2 minutes.
- Then reduce the heat and add chopped onions.
- Simmer everything covered for 5 minutes.
Add salt and your favorite spices to taste, pour in cream or milk and simmer under the lid until the chicken is cooked.
You can add water to the cream: it all depends on your preference for the consistency of the gravy. The dish is served with pasta, rice, buckwheat or boiled potatoes.
Conclusion
When going on a hike for forest riches, you need to take a closer look at the photo of the bruise mushroom so as not to miss this tasty rare specimen. Representatives of this valuable, healthy and nutritious species grow in the northern regions of Russia and the CIS countries. Due to the content of boletol in the composition, bruise is a powerful natural antibiotic.
