Mushroom cabbage (sparassis curly)

This fungus, unusual in appearance, can easily be mistaken for a colored caputa head, but this inhabitant of the forest still belongs to the species of mushrooms that are actively used for food. Mushroom cabbage, which also bears a number of other names (hog cabbage, hare cabbage, mushroom happiness, curly flabby, as well as curly or curly sparassis) is listed in the Red Book of Russia as a rare species.

As you know, mushroom cabbage (curly sparassis) is a parasite, since growing on the roots of trees, it can provoke the development of an unpleasant disease - red rot.

By the way, it is noteworthy that there is also an unscientific name for the mushroom - the ram mushroom, which is mainly used in translations of books by foreign authors. The fact is that the domestic mycological literature refers to this name to a slightly different species of fungus, which belongs to the Trutovik family - Grifola frondosa.

On the territory of Russia, mushroom cabbage (curly sparassis) can be found in the Altai, Krasnodar, Krasnoyarsk, Primorsky and Khabarovsk Territories, as well as Novosibirsk, Chelyabinsk, Moscow and Sakhalin Regions. In addition, this mushroom is often found in the North Caucasus and in the Republic of Karelia. Outside the Russian Federation, mushroom cabbage (curly sparassis) is known in the Baltic states, Ukraine, Belarus, Georgia, Western European, Asian countries and states of North America.

Mushroom cabbage (curly sparassis) is distinguished by a coarse, rounded, spherical or incorrectly spherical fruit body. This is a rather large mushroom, the mass of which sometimes reaches 6-10 kilograms. Outwardly, the fruit body of mushroom cabbage (curly sparassis) actually resembles the head of cauliflower. At the same time, young mushrooms are characterized by a whitish color, which later becomes yellowish, and in a mature state is painted in ochre or brownish shades. The edges of the mushroom lobes begin to darken first.

The dense flesh of mushroom cabbage (curly sparassis) is white in color, quite brittle when young. Over time, as well as when dried, it becomes stiff, waxy-horn-like consistency, but still features a strong specific smell that is completely different from mushroom. In terms of taste, mushroom cabbage (curly sparassis) is more like a nut.

Mainly, this edible mushroom is suitable for making soups, and can also be used for frying and drying. However, this mushroom is suitable for food only at a young age, since the fruiting body of brownish color becomes very rigid. Mushroom cabbage (curly sparassis) is considered an excellent filling for dumplings, often baked with shrimp, spices and almond nuts under cheese. In dry form mushrooms are ground into powder, after which tonic drink is prepared on its basis.