''Calocybe gambosa'', commonly known as St. George's mushroom, is an edible
mushroom
A mushroom or toadstool is the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting body of a fungus, typically produced above ground, on soil, or on its food source. ''Toadstool'' generally denotes one poisonous to humans.
The standard for the name "mushroom" is ...
that grows mainly in fields, grass verges and roadsides. Deriving its common name from when it first appears in the UK, namely on St George's Day (23 April). It appears in March in Italy, a warmer country where it is also a popular mushroom to eat, and is known there as ''prugnolo''. It is also popular in Northern Spain and Southern France, in the Basque Country region and its surroundings where it appears in April. In these regions it is usually eaten sautéed with egg or with bacon.
It is considered a delicacy, especially when fried in butter. It was previously considered a part of the large genus '' Tricholoma'' and is still seen as ''T. gambosum'' in older texts.
Elias Magnus Fries
Elias Magnus Fries (15 August 1794 – 8 February 1878) was a Swedish mycologist and botanist.
Career
Fries was born at Femsjö ( Hylte Municipality), Småland, the son of the pastor there. He attended school in Växjö.
He acquire ...
in his 1821 work ''
Systema Mycologicum
Systema Mycologicum is a systematic classification of fungi
A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushr ...
'', with its
specific epithet
In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bo ...
derived from a
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through ...
term for "club footed" in relation to its bulky stipe. It was later named ''Tricholoma gambosum'' by Paul Kummer in 1871, before being reclassified as ''Calocybe gambosa'' by
Marinus Anton Donk
Marinus Anton Donk (14 August 1908 – 2 September 1972) was a Dutch mycologist. He specialized in the taxonomy and nomenclature of mushrooms. Rolf Singer wrote in his obituary that he was "one of the most outstanding figures of contemporary m ...
in 1962. In Germany it is known as ''Maipilz'', where it fruits in May. The genus name is derived from the
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Dark Ages (), the Archaic pe ...
terms ''kalos'' "pretty", and ''cubos'' "head". In Denmark it is called ''Vårmousseron'', appearing in spring—early May
Description
The cap measures from 5–15 cm (2 to 6 inches) in diameter and has a smooth texture and has ridges on it. The colour of the cap, stipe and flesh can range from white-creamy coloured to bright yellow. The sinuate gills are white and crowded. The flesh is thick and soft and has a mealy or
cucumber
Cucumber (''Cucumis sativus'') is a widely-cultivated creeping vine plant in the Cucurbitaceae family that bears usually cylindrical fruits, which are used as culinary vegetables.spore print is white to pinkish white. The stubby stipe is bulky at the base.
Care must be taken not to confuse it with the highly poisonous ''
Inosperma erubescens
''Inocybe erubescens'', also known as ''I. patouillardii'', commonly known as the deadly fibrecap, brick-red tear mushroom or red-staining Inocybe, is a poisonous basidiomycete fungus, one of many in the genus '' Inocybe'' and one of the f ...
'', which grows in the same habitats. The latter has a more pungent fruity smell and bruises red. '' Entoloma sinuatum'', also poisonous, has a rancid smell.
Distribution and habitat
''Calocybe gambosa'' is common in grasslands in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, often in areas rich in limestone. It is common on the Swedish islands
Öland
Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Øland'' in other Scandinavian languages, and often ''Oland'' internationally; la, Oelandia) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area ...
Baltic sea
The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain.
The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...
. On the
South Downs
The South Downs are a range of chalk hills that extends for about across the south-eastern coastal counties of England from the Itchen valley of Hampshire in the west to Beachy Head, in the Eastbourne Downland Estate, East Sussex, in the eas ...
in southern England, it has formed huge
fairy ring
A fairy ring, also known as fairy circle, elf circle, elf ring or pixie ring, is a naturally occurring ring or arc of mushrooms. They are found mainly in forested areas, but also appear in grasslands or rangelands. Fairy rings are detectable b ...
s that appear to be several hundred years old. It is found from April in the United Kingdom, and earlier in warmer countries.
Edibility
The mushroom is best picked in dry weather. It can be eaten dry, pickled or even raw. It is imported in commercial quantities into Western Europe from
Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern, and Southeast Europe, Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, S ...
. It was held in high esteem in medieval Italy, reported by Costanzo Felici in 1569 as the most expensive and highly regarded mushroom in Umbria
and Marches in central Italy, and held in high esteem in the Apennine mountain region—Liguria, Tuscany, and Emilia-Romagna)—by Giovanni Targioni Tozzetti in 1777. It is still locally eaten in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany.
St George's mushroom is highly prized in the Basque Country of
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
, where it fetches very high prices. In Alava, it is traditionally eaten on the feast of Saint Prudence (28 April), alongside snails. The mushroom is also a cornerstone of the gastronomy of
, where it is typically eaten in an omelette. The demand in the Basque Country is so high the mushroom has to be imported from Eastern Europe.
Some people have been reported to react to an unknown allergen in this mushroom. Because of this, it is wise to ''only eat a small portion the first time'' you try this mushroom. It is uncertain whether cooking the mushroom for a longer time period reduces reactions to it, but it might help so until there is further research done; it is advisable to cook this mushroom for 10 – 15 minutes before eating.
''Calocybe gambosa'' grows at the same time of year and locations to, and can be confused with, young Inocybe erubescens (poisonous), Melanoleuca strictipes (inedible), and Entoloma sinuatum (poisonous).