Mushrooms: all-rounders from the forest

Mushrooms
All-rounder from the forest

From shadow to spotlight: Edible mushrooms are currently making a rapid career as a trend food. Within six years, mushroom cultivation in Germany grew from 66,500 tons to 85,100 tons. And that’s not just because of its effect as an immune booster – since the corona pandemic there has been talk of a “(mu)shroom boom”. The increasing demand for meat substitutes is also driving the trend: Because edible mushrooms are not only rich in nutrients, they also taste meat-like and spicy and are quite sustainable.

What makes mushrooms a superfood?

That they are some kind of multivitamin tablet. Rich in potassium, copper, selenium, the B vitamins riboflavin and niacin, and vitamin D, mushrooms are packed with antioxidants that protect against free radicals. However, levels vary by species and location. The only drawback: the chitin in the fungal cell wall is a spoilsport that makes digestion difficult for some people. Mushrooms that have been stored too long or are old are often incompatible. On the other hand, the common assumption that mushrooms should not be heated is wrong. Fresh cultivated mushrooms and porcini mushrooms can even be eaten raw in small quantities. But be careful: If you collect yourself, you should be well informed and, if in doubt, seek mushroom advice – many species are poisonous!

What are medicinal mushrooms that you read about more often now?

If you believe various PR websites, medicinal mushrooms are supposed to be a kind of comprehensive insurance against corona infections, allergies, impotence, stress, diabetes, heart disease and cancer. About 700 species are said to have a healing effect. However, there are no meaningful studies on this. Mycotherapy is particularly popular in Japan and China. There, for example, the caterpillar mushroom, Reishi or the butterfly tramet are administered as extracts. There are also edible medicinal mushrooms such as shiitake, maitake or monkey head mushroom. The consumer center advises against “medicinal mushrooms” or “vital mushrooms” as food supplements because individual ingredients are in very high doses, and warns: “There is no evidence that medicinal mushrooms have a positive effect on cancer.”

Which mushrooms are the most popular superheroes?

Almost everyone knows oyster mushrooms, button mushrooms, chanterelles, porcini mushrooms and shiitake. However, if you want to try other varieties such as the monkey head mushroom or the lime mushroom, you can buy a small cultivation set for the balcony. There are also so-called hybrid products on the market. Here, meat is combined with mushrooms. The company Rebel Meat from Vienna has developed burger patties made from beef and king oyster mushrooms.

And what qualifies them as a meat substitute?

Mushrooms are protein bombs: the forest plants provide all the necessary amino acids – these protein building blocks contribute to the mushroom aroma, which is described as meaty or spicy, Oyster mushrooms taste like veal, for example. Meat substitute Quorn is also considered a good alternative as it resembles the fibrous texture of meat. It consists of mushroom threads that are processed with milk protein and other substances into meat alternatives – they are particularly rich in fiber and protein and are commercially available as schnitzel, minced meat or nuggets.

And what is mushroom coffee?

Food designers have come up with a special combination: instant coffee plus medicinal mushroom powder! The whole thing is sold as a mushroom coffee and hipster drink. For example, the Wild Brew Coffee from “Brain-Effect”, which, despite the vanilla aroma and chai spices, tastes bitter-earthy of chaga and monkey head mushrooms. Not so yummy. And also quite expensive.

Environmental polluter or eco-nerd?

eco nerd! Going into the forest, collecting mushrooms, enjoying – that’s about the most environmentally friendly way of eating there is. But of course: If everyone did that, we would probably run out of edible mushrooms at some point, and the forest ecosystem would also suffer. However, cultivated mushrooms also have a very small ecological footprint. They grow very quickly and can also sprout on debris such as straw, chicken manure, wood chips or coffee grounds. If you look at the climate emissions, mushrooms are only slightly higher than fruit and vegetablesbut far below animal products.

The mushroom researcher Vera Meyer from the TU Berlin is even convinced: Mushrooms can make a major contribution to making our world healthier, more sustainable and worth living in. Fungal substances are already suitable for replacing building materials such as concrete or plasterboard, leather in clothing or plastic packaging – in a way that conserves resources and is recyclable.

And the radiation exposure?

Cultivated mushrooms are unproblematic. For wild mushrooms such as porcini mushrooms in the trade, they must not exceed a content of 600 becquerels of cesium-137 per kilogram. If you want to go mushroom hunting yourself, you should contact the Federal Office for Radiation Protection (BfS) to find out what the radiation levels are in the region. Due to the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, high levels of radiation can still be found in Bavarian areas south of the Danube. The German Society for Nutrition (DGE) advises eating no more than 250 grams of wild mushrooms per week. Especially since heavy metals can also accumulate in the forest plants.

Bridget