With all the ridiculous names given to mushrooms and fungus
here is one that absolutely screams out for one – “The human
brain fungus“! But no, for some reason they named it false mo-
rel, which it doesn’t really look like.

Obviously something as delicious looking as a human brain is
not going to go uneaten. And it doesn’t. The false morel is a
popular delicacy in Scandinavia and Eastern Europe.
But isn’t it deadly poisonous? Well yes, but no. If eaten raw
there is a good chance you will die horribly. If not cooked prop-
erly there is also a chance you will die. However, cook it right
and I’m sure it tastes great.

The toxin here is gyromitrin which becomes monomethylhydra-
zine (MMH) after you eat it. This toxin will primarily affect the
liver but also the nervous system and sometimes the kidneys.
Symptoms such as diarrhea and vomiting will appear within
hours and are followed by dizziness, lethargy and headache.
In the worst case this will end in a coma and death within the
week.

The false morel can be found in conifer woodlands throughout
Europe and North America.