Mushrooms are just as delicious as they are weirdly adorable, and whether you live to forage for them, devour them, or just appreciate what they do for our ecosystem, most of us can agree they’re just downright fascinating. Enjoy these rando fungi facts and don’t hesitate to share them at your next dinner party. (You’ll sound smarter than everyone, we just know it!)
(image via: unsplash)
Genetically speaking, mushrooms are closer to humans and animals than they are to plants. You’re probably wondering how we figure, well, they absorb nutrients through organic matter, they have a substance known as chitin in their cell walls just like animals, and they need food, water, and oxygen to survive!
If you’ve ever played Super Mario Bros. then you’re familiar with that very specific mushroom. The mushroom featured in the game resembles Fly Agaric mushrooms which contain psychoactive chemicals in short, these mushrooms can cause you to think the objects around you are appearing smaller or larger than they actually are, which is fitting for the game because the more you collect, the more you grow.
Mushrooms are the fruit of fungus. Allow us to explain. You know how an apple is the fruit of a much larger tree? (Or an orange, or a peach, whatever you prefer!) Well, a little mushroom is a mere 5% representation of fungus.
(image via: istock)
Good news for those of you who love to eat mushrooms on your pasta, steak, or just sauteed with some herbs, mushrooms have long been considered to have many health benefits such as protection against breast and prostate cancer, and diabetes, and have also been thought to lower cholesterol levels, boost weight loss, and strengthen your immune system.
Some mushrooms glow in the dark, in fact, scientists are sure of at least 80 different varieties that do so. These glow-in-the-dark mushrooms use light-emitting compounds known as luciferins to glow and attract insects, then the insects spread their spores to new locations which, you guessed it, helps the species survive.
Most falls under the category of salty, sweet, bitter, or even sour, but notice how mushrooms don’t really fall into any of these categories? That’s because mushrooms contain a fifth primary taste known as umami or a meat-like flavor.
Mushrooms are great for a lot of things, but did you know they make beautiful natural dyes? When combined with ammonia, chanterelles give you muted yellow, oyster mushrooms a grey-green, hen of the woods an orange, puffballs a rust red, lobster mushrooms a bright pink, turkey tail a brown, and reishi a rust color. (source)