Vegan Chanterelle Recipes to Delight your Tastebuds (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a chanterelle and a false chanterelle? ›

Chanterelles have forked ridges (not true gills) that are light in color and kind of rubbery to the touch. False Chanterelles have forked orange gills that can be separated (they move when stroked and are deeper than those of true Chanterelles).

Chanterelles are some of the most coveted mushrooms and can cost upwards of $25 per pound or $200 if dried. Fortunately, hedgehog mushrooms are an affordable alternative.

Chanterelles are highly prized for their flavor, which is often described as a mix of fruity, nutty, and peppery notes with a mild and delicate aroma. They have a meaty texture that can hold up well in cooking.

The scaly chanterelle should not be confused with the highly sought-after, edible chanterelle (Cantharellus) species. Chanterelles have regular ridge-like veins on their lower surfaces and are never as vase-like as the scaly chanterelle.

The main reason for chanterelles' $224-per-pound price is that they're infamously difficult to cultivate. They mostly grow in the wild, meaning they must be foraged, and they require a period of heavy rainfall in a coniferous forest, followed by several days of continuous heat and high humidity.

The false Chanterelles cap can be yellow, orange or brown which starts as convex until it becomes funnel shaped with an inrolled margin. Its gills are orange and run down the stem. The mushroom averages between 5 and 8cms.

Chanterelles can store heavy metals such as cadmium, lead and mercury, which can damage organs like the liver and kidney in large doses. For this reason, the World Health Organization (WHO) advises eating only about 250 grams of chanterelles once a week.

Chanterelle mushrooms are an excellent source of polysaccharides like chitin and chitosan. These two compounds help to protect your cells from damage and stimulate your immune system to produce more cells. They're also known to help reduce inflammation and lower the risk of developing certain cancers.

Their firm texture and strong earthiness go well with herbs like sage, rosemary, tarragon, and thyme. They are good in stews with rich stocks and go very well with roasted corn and with mild, creamy goat cheese.

They're prized for their delicate flavor. Both the stems and caps are edible. Nutritionally, chanterelle mushrooms are high in fiber, and contain vitamin B and D–and some trace minerals, as well.

Did Native Americans eat chanterelles? ›

Though a staple food source for Native Americans, chanterelles are not noted as a culturally significant species among North American Native tribes. Many european colonizers brought along an appetite for wild harvested mushrooms to North America.

Chanterelles keep best in the refrigerator in a sealed plastic container. Use paper towels to prevent the mushrooms from touching plastic. Change the paper towels when they become wet from condensation. The total time you can store chanterelles varies, depending on the condition of the mushrooms when they were picked.

How do you know that you're in possession of Rainbow Chanterelles, rather than another gold-toned chanterelle? According to the literature, Rainbows are distinguished by bright orange veins or false gills. Their caps are a duller color than the Pacific Goldens and often exhibit a pinkish bloom near the edge.

Are chanterelle mushrooms psychedelic? While chanterelles do have a certain "magic" to them, they are not hallucinogenic.

Jack O'Lantern mushrooms also known as foxfire mushrooms or Omphalotus species, are a poisonous mushroom commonly confused with edible chanterelles.

These descriptive details distinguish chanterelles from their main poisonous look-alike, the Jack O'Lantern mushroom (Omphalotus illudens).

The most important feature when identifying chanterelle mushrooms is the presence of false gills--or in some cases no gills at all. The smooth chanterelle has no gills, which makes it a safer, even beginner mushroom. But we aren't talking about that in this post, maybe sometime later when I get some good pics.