26/07/2022
Mushroom is a highly nutritional natural gift!! Mushrooms are fungi, belonging to a kingdom separate from plants and animals. Fungi differ from plants and animals in the way they obtain their nutrients. Unlike plants. making their food through photosynthesis and animals eat plants and other animals, mushroom do neither: their mycelium grows into or around the food source, secretes enzymes that digest the food externally, and the mycelium then absorbs the digested nutrients. Mushrooms have nearly 10,000 known types and differ from each other in appearance (colors, shapes, and sizes), distinguished by a stem, fleshy rounded cap, and gills underneath the cap. Mushrooms have been eaten and used as medicine for thousands of years. Traditional medicine practitioners have appreciated mushrooms, the bell-shaped fungi, for their healing and cleansing properties. All varieties of mushrooms are low in calories and fat and contain modest amounts of fiber and various nutrients including B vitamins (B2, B3, folate, B5), Phosphorus, Vitamin D, Selenium, Copper, and Potassium. Important properties of mushrooms are in their non-nutritive plant substances—polysaccharides, indoles, polyphenols, and carotenoids having antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects. Mushrooms are also recognized by chefs for their ability to create rich flavors called umami, due to the presence of an amino acid called glutamate, which is also found in meats, fish, and cheeses. Not all mushrooms are edible, wild mushrooms can cause stomach upset or allergic reactions, and are even poisonous. Some common edible mushrooms are Chanterelle, Cremini, Enoki, Maitake, Morel, Oyster, Porcini, Portobello, and Shiitake. Even truffle, a pricey delicacy typically reserved for restaurant dishes, is also a fungus that is generally classified as a mushroom.