Champignons

Champignon is the most common and well-known edible mushroom. It is cultivated on a large scale in many countries. These agaric mushrooms, belonging to the Agarikov family, got their name from the French word champignon, the meaning of which is "mushroom".

Mushroom caps are plump and fleshy. They are most often white, but can be brownish or brown. Young mushrooms have rounded caps, and as they grow, they become flatter. Their average size is 8-15 centimeters in diameter. On the surface there may be scales from white to brown.

The plates of a young champignon have a pinkish tint, and later, when the color of the spores changes, they become brown.

The stem of champignons is white, up to 10 cm high and up to 4 cm thick. It is often dense, but rarely hollow or loose. Young mushrooms have a white film on the bottom of the cap, and when the mushroom grows, this dense film breaks and moves to the stem, forming a “ring”. The flesh of the fungus is often white, but in the air it often changes color, acquiring a red or yellow tint.

About 200 species of these mushrooms are known, and among them there are not only edible, but also poisonous specimens.Among the edible types of champignon in Russia, the most common are:

It grows mainly in open space (in a meadow, forest glade, clearing, roadside, in a park, etc.)

It is found on soils rich in humus, as well as in open spaces. It has a flat-rounded white cap, reddening flesh at the fracture site, which has a pleasant mushroom aroma.

Mushroom with a rounded smooth cap, pronounced ring on the stem, juicy pulp, turning pink at the break. It grows on cultivated soils and open space - in the garden, in the garden, in the pasture, in the ditch, on the street, in the greenhouse.

It likes saline soils, it is distinguished by white pulp with a not very pleasant smell, which turns pink when pressed.

It is characterized by brown-brown hats and growth in forests (often spruce).

It is distinguished by the presence of brownish scales on the hats; it is found in forests, next to anthills, in alleys.

An edible mushroom with a white or off-white fleshy cap, dense flesh with a sour taste and smell, and a double ring on the stem. Loves soil rich in humus.

Mushrooms are saprotrophs and love humus-rich soils. They are also found on anthills and on the bark of trees. Depending on the substrate, mushrooms of the genus Champignon are divided into groups.

Mushrooms of one group are found only in forests, the other - only among the grass, the third - in a barren space.

Most mushrooms are found in Eurasia (forest-steppe and steppe), Africa and Australia.

When growing mushrooms for sale or at home, they are harvested at the moment when the cap is still with the edges wrapped down, and the intact film from the bottom passes from the cap to the leg. The crop is harvested daily - the ripened mushroom is taken by the hat and, pressing it down a little, is twisted out of the soil.

You can buy fresh champignons in the markets and shops.

When choosing mushrooms, pay attention to the following criteria:

• Fresh mushrooms are white in color, sometimes with a beige or pinkish tinge.
• The surface of the hat should be matte.
• Mushrooms should not have spots or dark areas, as well as dents.
• If the film connecting the cap and stem is broken, this indicates the "old age" of the fungus.
• To the touch, fresh champignon is elastic, and spoiled looks like a sponge.
• Smell the mushrooms - the fresh product will have a pronounced pleasant aroma.

• The smell of most champignons is a pleasant mushroom, reminiscent of anise.
• Essential oils and special polysaccharides provide mushrooms with a pleasant taste.
• Raw and dried champignons have medicinal properties.
• On an industrial scale, champignon is usually cultivated.

100 g of fresh champignon contains:

- The calorie content of boiled champignon is 37 kcal per 100 grams of boiled mushroom, and canned - 12 kcal per 100 grams of product.

Like other mushrooms, champignon is rich in:

• Proteins (including essential amino acids);
• Vitamins - PP, C, D, H, group B;
• carotenoids;
• Inorganic elements - phosphorus, iodine, calcium and others;
• Lecithin
• dietary fiber;
• alkaloids;
• Chitin;
• organic acids and other compounds.

These mushrooms contain substances whose action is similar to that of antibiotics. They are detrimental to a large number of pathogenic bacteria, including salmonella and Koch's bacilli.

Mushroom has the following useful and medicinal properties:

• Increased appetite;
• Improved digestion;
• Improvement of metabolic processes;
• Removal of cholesterol from the body;
• Prevention of thrombus formation and the development of a heart attack;
• Prevention of atherosclerotic changes;
• Antioxidant action;
• Slowing down the aging process;
• Positive effect on blood vessels and heart;
• Bactericidal and antiviral action;
• Reducing inflammation;
• Bronchodilatory and expectorant effect;
• Improving brain function and memory;
• Removal of radionuclides and toxins from the body.

You will learn about the benefits of champignons and other valuable information about them from the following video.

Champignon should not be used for:

• Gout;
• Children's age up to 5 years;
• pregnancy;
• breastfeeding;
• Acute diseases of the digestive system.

It is important to distinguish wild champignon from poisonous mushrooms, for example, a pale toadstool that looks like it. You also need to remember that any mushroom absorbs substances that are in the atmosphere, so you need to be attentive to the places where wild champignons are collected.

To prolong the shelf life of mushrooms, they should not be washed until the moment of use. It is recommended to store champignons in the refrigerator for up to five days. Keep mushrooms in the refrigerator in a plastic container with holes. You can also wrap them in paper.

Champignon is widely used in cooking, this mushroom:

• fry;
• used in frozen and dried form;
• marinate;
• salt;
• added to soups;
• baked in clay pots;
• add to the filling of pies, sandwiches, pizzas and other pastries;
• make an ingredient in salads;
• stew in sour cream or soy sauce;
• combined with poultry, fish and meat, as well as vegetables;
• added to sauces and snacks.

For eating, young mushrooms are more in demand, as they have an excellent taste. Thanks to mass cultivation, these mushrooms are the most popular in mushroom dishes. They help to safely and quickly diversify dishes in the field of catering.

Before cooking, the mushroom needs to be cleaned of dirt and earth. After cleaning off the dirt with a knife, quickly rinse the mushrooms under running water.

Also, when cleaning, the film that is between the mushroom leg and the cap is usually removed. If the stem of the mushroom is dirty, then its lower part is cut off.

You can get detailed instructions for processing mushrooms in the following video.

Fresh champignons are put into the dish during cooking, but if they are pre-boiled, they are usually added to the final stage of cooking.

Large champignons are often fried and baked, combined with meat and fish, and also stuffed and grilled. Medium-sized mushrooms are usually used for pizzas and pies, while small mushrooms are great for salads, omelettes and first courses.It is also convenient to marinate small champignons.

To the question "Are champignons eaten raw?" the answer is yes, they do. But only those, according to experts, who are grown in greenhouse conditions. They contain the maximum amount of nutrients. As for wild champignons, they are able to accumulate poisons and toxins in themselves.

It is important to wash the mushrooms well. The use of these mushrooms in their raw form is practiced in many countries. Raw champignon is added to sauces and salads, and is also simply cut and served with vegetables. Raw mushrooms are especially tasty if sprinkled with lemon juice.

Mushrooms that have not undergone heat treatment have more nutrients than boiled ones. To eat raw champignon, it should be wiped with a cloth or washed under a water jet, then dried a little and cut into cubes or strips. It is recommended to store the cut mushroom as little as possible and in a closed container.

To cook champignons, mushrooms are immersed in boiling water, where salt is added. Mushrooms are boiled for about 7-10 minutes.

Fresh mushrooms are cooked not only in a saucepan, but also in a pressure cooker (5 minutes), a double boiler (10 minutes) or a slow cooker (20 minutes, stewing mode). Frozen mushrooms are first thawed and then boiled for 10 minutes.

If you want to cook champignon for salad, in addition to salt and citric acid, add a few peas of allspice and bay leaf to the water. After boiling, boil for 7 minutes, then place the mushrooms in a colander and cool before slicing.

Frying champignon lasts about 10-15 minutes. Mushrooms are processed over medium heat until golden brown and water evaporates. Mushrooms need to be laid out in a heated pan with vegetable oil.

Very often champignons are fried together with onions, taking an average head of onion for 500 g of mushrooms.

Frozen champignons are fried for about 10 minutes, while they can be put in a hot frying pan frozen. If you want to fry canned mushrooms, first rinse them of vinegar, and then fry for 5 minutes.

Stuffed champignons are an easy-to-prepare and tasty snack. Mushrooms can be filled with minced meat, vegetables, cheese, shrimp and other fillings. For stuffing, choose large mushrooms, in which the legs are separated, leaving only the caps. It is more convenient to lay out the filling in large hats. The products prepared for the filling are mixed with sauce (often it is tomato paste, sour cream, ketchup, mayonnaise). Hats filled with filling are baked in the oven for about 15-20 minutes, often sprinkled with cheese. Mushrooms prepared in this way will be an excellent snack both hot and chilled.

To pickle mushrooms at home, you will need:

• 800 g fresh champignons
• 200 g chopped onion
• 100 ml vegetable oil
• 25 ml table vinegar
• 30 g dill
• 3 garlic cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 5-7 allspice peas
• Salt

Mushrooms are washed and fried for 1-2 minutes in a saucepan without oil.As soon as the mushrooms begin to secrete juice, all other ingredients (except dill) are added to them, brought to a boil and removed from heat. Adding dill to the mushrooms and stirring, the dish is infused for 5-7 hours. On the table, such pickled mushrooms are served chilled.

For 1 kg of champignons, take:

• 1 liter of water
• 1 table. a spoonful of salt, sugar, vegetable oil and vinegar
• 5-6 bay leaves
• 3-4 pcs. carnations
• 5-6 peas of allspice

Having picked up strong fresh mushrooms without damage, they are thoroughly washed and sorted by size. For 10 minutes, champignons are blanched in water with the addition of salt and citric acid. As soon as the mushrooms have settled to the bottom, they are cooled and poured with a 2% solution of table salt. Together with spices, the mushrooms are placed in jars, filling the jars with champignons by 70%. Mushrooms are poured with water with salt, sugar, citric acid and vinegar (it must be added when the marinade boils), covered with a lid and pasteurized in jars for 20 minutes, after which they are rolled up.

To pickle champignons, choose small mushrooms, about the same size.

For 2 kg of champignons, take 150 g of salt, 5 onions, 10 peas of black and allspice, 2 bay leaves. For taste, cloves, garlic and coriander are often added to the marinade.

For salting, washed mushrooms need to be boiled for 7 minutes in salt water. Mushrooms cooled under water are laid out in jars, adding onions, peppers, bay leaves. Sprinkle each layer of mushrooms with salt. The jars are filled with water so that the brine is 2 cm higher than the level of the mushrooms. After closing them with lids, the jars are turned over and left to cool.

In two days, the mushrooms will settle and you can add more champignons to the jars, pouring them with salt. Salted champignons are stored in a cool dark room. They make an excellent snack. Also, these mushrooms are added to salads, meat and vegetable dishes.

Mushrooms are baked quite quickly - just hold them in the oven for 10-15 minutes. In an air grill, champignon can be baked in 10 minutes, and in a microwave oven - in just 3 minutes. Usually, when baking in the oven, mushrooms are sprinkled with cheese, adding aromatic herbs and spices. You can sprinkle washed and chopped mushrooms with lemon juice and soy sauce, then sprinkle with oregano, dill and grated cheese.

Mushroom kebab is no less tasty than other kebab options and will help diversify the picnic menu. For its preparation, mushrooms are recommended to be marinated beforehand. For the marinade, you can use:

• mayonnaise and spices;
• lemon juice;
• olive oil;
• soy sauce;
• suneli hops, pepper and other spices;
• garlic;
• fragrant herbs.

Having strung mushrooms on skewers, they are fried over coals until they are ruddy. On one skewer, mushrooms can be combined with vegetables, meat, bacon.

Take:

• 300 grams of champignons
• 4 potatoes
• 2 onions
• 500 ml cream (20%)
• Salt and pepper

Boil the potatoes and at the same time peel and cut the mushrooms and onions. Then saute the onion until translucent and add the mushrooms to it, continuing to fry until the mushrooms are cooked. Combine boiled potatoes and cooked mushrooms with onions, add cream, salt, pepper and grind everything in a blender. If the soup is very thick, dilute a little with the water in which the potatoes were boiled.

You will need:

• 200 grams of champignons
• 100 g of tomatoes and cucumbers
• 120 g cheese
• 60 g green salad
• 40 g pitted olives
• Olive oil

Clean the washed mushrooms and cut into slices. Tear the salad with your hands, add olives, diced cucumbers and tomatoes to the leaves, then season everything with olive oil and arrange on plates. Put the cheese and mushrooms cut into pieces on top of the vegetables.

Based on 12 cocotte makers, take:

• 500 g mushrooms
• large onion
• 150 g cream or sour cream
• 100 g hard cheese

Finely chop the onion, fry it in hot vegetable oil for about 3 minutes. At this time, cut the mushrooms into thin plates and, adding them to the pan to the onion, fry until soft. This will take about five minutes, after which you need to add cream / sour cream, salt, pepper to the pan. We continue to simmer on the stove until the dish thickens (about another five minutes). Spread the mushroom mass over the cocotte bowls and sprinkle with grated cheese, then send the containers to the hot oven until the cheese is melted and browned. Serve hot.

• Since champignon has a minimum of fat and carbohydrates, and this mushroom has the ability to lower blood glucose levels, it should be included in the diet for diabetes.
• Due to the effect on the bronchi (their expansion) and expectorant effect, champignons are recommended for diseases of the respiratory system, in particular, tracheitis, bronchitis and bronchial asthma.
• Due to the low sodium content, champignon can be included in the diet with a salt-free diet.
• Due to the large amount of thiamine and riboflavin, the use of champignon will help prevent the development of migraines and headaches.
• The increased content of lysine and arginine makes this mushroom useful for mental abilities and memory development.
• With the help of these mushrooms, you can get rid of ulcers, manifestations of psoriasis, purulent skin lesions, eczema.
• Champignon effectively resists tuberculosis, mumps, typhoid and other infections.
• The dried champignon retains all its healing properties. These mushrooms are especially valuable in dried form for hepatitis and peptic ulcer disease.

An extract prepared from champignons effectively helps with purulent wounds, psoriasis and other skin problems.

To obtain such an extract, unwashed fresh champignons (wiped with a napkin) are cut into small cubes. These cubes are stacked in a glass jar. Next, a jar filled to the top with mushrooms is poured with olive oil. After keeping the jar of mushrooms and oil in the refrigerator (on the bottom shelf) for four hours, it must be kept in a water bath for an hour. Next, the contents of the jar are filtered. Mushrooms can be eaten, and the oil can be stored in the refrigerator. It can also be frozen.

This oil is applied to the affected skin twice a day until recovery. The recommended course of treatment is three months. Shake the oil before applying to the skin.

Champignon is a very useful food recommended for obesity. This mushroom has a very low calorie content and helps to diversify the diet if you want to lose weight.

From champignon, you can make face masks that will improve skin condition and slow down the appearance of wrinkles.

Champignon is one of the mushrooms that are well grown under special conditions, even at home.

For the first time champignon began to be cultivated in Italy.

At the end of the 17th century, their active growth in underground premises was noted.Champignon was then considered a delicacy, so the basement in which it was grown was in the possession of many monarchs of that time.

In Russia, mushroom cultivation began in the 18th century.