Polish forests are full of mushrooms – some specimens can be truly gigantic. An example is the giant mushroom that resembles a large mushroom (also known as the giant mushroom or puffball), which certainly won’t fit into the basket. What species is this? And is it even edible? We answer in this article.
Avid mushroom picking enthusiasts eagerly present the specimens they have collected on social media. Some, due to their size, make a great impression.
A photo of the giant mushroom was shared on social media by Mr. Piotr – a blogger who operates on Facebook under the pseudonym “Mushroom expert”.
The post aroused great interest among Internet users. “What is it? It looks like a meteorite!”, “is it edible?”, “is it a dinosaur egg?” – surprised observers asked in the comments.
As it turns out, the huge, white mushroom with which Mr. Piotr posed is a giant mushroom – a species belonging to the puffball family. It was found in Kostrzyn in Greater Poland.
First come first served? There are reservations for mushrooms in the forests
Finding the giant skullcap is not easy. This fungus occurs primarily in North America, but also in Europe. In Poland, you can come across it in the northern part of the country, and much less often in the south. It likes well-sunny and humid places. It can be found not only in forests, but also in meadows, pastures, parks and gardens.
It often reaches a diameter of 60 cm, but sometimes it can exceed a meter!
Interestingly, the largest specimen so far was found in the 1950s in what was then Czechoslovakia. It weighed over 20 kg, was 46 cm high, and its circumference was… 212 cm.
In Poland, the giant skullcap was a strictly protected species until 2014.
The giant mushroom is an edible mushroom, but only when it comes to young fruiting bodies. Their taste is then mild, mushroom-like.
Older specimens are not suitable for consumption. The flesh of the mushroom is no longer white and firm. The skullcap turns yellow and becomes bitter.
How to prepare young specimens? We are only limited by our imagination. It can be fried, boiled, baked, and breaded like cutlets. Some people also pickle them.
Not everything in the basket can end up on the plate
