The mushrooms are widely abundant throughout Spain thanks to the fact that it is possible to get many ecosystems where they enjoy an excellent abundance and also maintain a high quality gastronomic like food within the population, hence the great importance of knowing for sure what are the most common types of mushrooms that exist. The variety is indisputably very large and many of them are edible , although you have to be very careful because there are also toxic and even deadly ones.
The types of mushrooms and the importance of knowing them
Knowledge will always be our greatest ally and much more when there are associated risks. In this case, it is important to know in detail which are the most common mushrooms and to be able to differentiate them from many others that may well be a great risk to our health.
Here is an excellent summary with the most common edible mushrooms that you can get in Spain, a basic guide so that you can differentiate them and avoid any irregular situation with serious conditions for your health . Get to know them thoroughly and get all the benefits that mushrooms have in store for you.
What are the most common types of mushrooms?
Oronja – Amanita caesarea
The darling of edible mushrooms in Spain, this variety enjoys being the most admired and exquisite for the palates, it accepts an incredible variety of cooking methods. It offers you a good-sized hat with diameters that can go up to 25 centimeters, it is orange in color and on many occasions it may tend to maintain a yellowish coloration.
Numerous sheets of a certain width and pale yellow which evolve towards a golden yellow depending on the status of their maturation. You can get them from the beginning of autumn to the end of summer in the forests of cork oaks, holm oaks, chestnut trees and oaks. Like the other mushrooms, this variety can be confused with those of the Amanita genus, which are usually toxic.
Boletus or pumpkin mushroom – Boletus edulis
With the name of pumpkin mushroom this variety of boletus is widely recommended to be consumed. The reason for its popularity lies in an exquisite sweet taste and of course a great consistency and smooth texture.
This variety is widely changeable in terms of colors, when young it maintains a whitish tone that evolves towards brown or brown. Likewise, it maintains a very moist and highly viscous cuticle , although it also loses it as it ages.
You can get it from late summer to late fall and it likes to be sheltered by the lush conifers throughout Spain.
Wild mushroom – Agaricus campestris
Arguably the most renowned mushroom and one of the main edibles that you can get in all of Spain, it is characterized by a white hat that can vary towards gray tones. This hat can measure up to 10 centimeters in diameter and its blades are white / pinkish in color and can evolve into shades of dark brown or black.
You can get this mushroom from early spring to late fall and it likes meadows and grasslands. Both its taste and smell are very pleasant , but avoid collecting ripe mushrooms with black plates in order to avoid digestive problems.
It is important that you can recognize this mushroom very well since it can be confused with many others with similar characteristics and that they should not be consumed.
Chanterelle – Cantharellus cibarius
Its magnificent funnel-shaped hat together with its yellowish color make the chanterelle or also known as chantarela one of the most edible mushrooms in all of Spain. Its blades are formed like yellow folds and have a dry cuticle that comes off very easily.
Very fleshy and with a fruity flavor and with certain hints of bitterness that you can find in the beech, oak and pine forests throughout the fall season.
Níscalo – Lactarius deliciosus
The níscalo is one of the most abundant mushrooms in all of Spain and undoubtedly maintains a high quality in relation to its flavor. It is easily recognizable by its striking convex hat , very brittle and fleshy that can reach dimensions of up to 15 centimeters in diameter.
Its color is orange / reddish and as it evolves, green spots appear on it. Its lower plates are of a perfect orange color and with a very compressed consistency. You can get them from fall to early winter in the pine forests.
The mushroom as a generous and versatile food
If you are a mushroom lover, you can enjoy a large number of different ways to prepare them as well as an unmatched compatibility to be accompanied by various foods, from creams, soups and spoon dishes to specialties such as these delicious mushrooms stuffed with meat .
A food full of fiber, amino acids and essential nutrients for the body, with a large amount of water and perfect to achieve from a healthy digestion to the highest doses of antioxidants to keep you young and very healthy.
