Beefsteak fungus
Fistulina hepatica
mushroom
⚠️ Toxic look-alike
Never eat this mushroom unless you are certain it is not its toxic look-alike.
Other red or orange mushrooms on trunks can fool a beginner, including the purple dye polypore, toxic to the kidneys and nervous system, which turns urine purple. Beefsteak fungus is blood red, juicy and tongue-shaped, with white then pinkish tubes under the cap, separated from each other like hairs; when cut, it oozes red juice. Have every find checked.
If in the slightest doubt, leave it. If you feel unwell after eating it, even several hours later, call Poison Control (1-800-222-1222) or 911.
A red, juicy mushroom of old oaks, with flesh veined like meat, tangy, raw as carpaccio or pan-fried.
- Origin
- Oaks and chestnuts of Europe
- Where to find it
- It is found at head height on old trunks, in ancient woods, château parks and the chestnut groves of the Limousin and the Cévennes.
- Season (United States)
- August to October
- Preparation
- Sliced and soaked, it loses some of its acidity. If you pick it yourself, have the mushroom checked by a pharmacist or a mycological society before eating it.
- Molecules
- Mushroom beta-glucansIn small amounts, not counted Ergothioneine
- Did you know?
- When cut, it oozes red juice: it is also called “ox liver”.