Paleo Magazine – August-September 2019

30 August/September 2019

not-

so-ra

re

beef

stea

k

mush

room

By Frank Hyman

One of the first rules I learned as
a novice forager was, “Always cook
mushrooms before eating them.” But,
by definition, all rules have exceptions.
Beefsteak mushroom—one of my

favorites—is exceptional in many ways.
It looks like meat, bleeds red juices, and
can be eaten raw like steak carpaccio.
The reasons both wild and cultivated
mushrooms should be cooked are several:

1. a raw mushroom is about as nutritious
   as wood, 2) a tiny percentage of people
   may be allergic to a given mushroom and
   cooking reduces or eliminates allergens,
   and, finally, 3) whether sourced from the
   store or from the woods (but especially
   from the store), mushrooms can be
   coated with bacteria.

Beefsteaks (Fistulina hepatica) are

unique in that they have a lemony

scent and flavor that tell you they

are saturated with citric acid. And

as you may know from reading the

ingredient lists on food packages, citric

acid is added as a preservative because

it inhibits bacterial growth. Some

plants and fungi use citric acid as a

defense mechanism. So a young, tender

beefsteak mushroom will be free of

bacteria. And bugs.

They are also called Ox Tongue

Fungi, and, in fact, they do look like

an ox that is sticking its tongue out at

you while hidden inside a tree. They

are considered “shelf ” mushrooms due

to their horizontal shape, and they

don’t have any poisonous lookalikes.

Woodworkers value the “brown rot”

from beefsteaks that makes the wood

even more beautiful and valuable.

Some foragers lay this fungus upside

down on tough steaks for a few hours

in the fridge to tenderize them.

Following the conventional wisdom,

I did cook a couple of slices of the

first one I found—and regretted

it. The lemony flavor and bright

colors disappeared. Those slices

became olive drab with a very mild

mushroom flavor. Not appetizing.

After confirming with a colleague the

advisability of eating beefsteaks raw,

I used the remaining dozen slices to

top off a mixed salad. To offset the

sour mushroom flavor, I topped it

with a sweet-ish dressing. The result:

fabulous flavor and texture. I’d even

say it was exceptional.

should^ be

served^ ver

y^ rare

foraging

May be as wide as your handspan

HUK[OPJRHZVYÄUNLYZ

Smooth top will be

delightful, pinkish-red

meat color.

Smooth underside will be palest pink, almost white

(disturbed only by the darker color left where

Evenly spaced pores. `V\YÄUNLYZOH]L[V\JOLKP[

© (^) C
AN
(^) ST
OC
K (^) P
HO
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(^) / (^) M
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