Cyttaria (Darwin's fungus)

Cyttaria spp.

mushroom

Small, sweet, pitted orange balls that grow on southern beeches, eaten raw.

Origin

Patagonia (Chile, Argentina)

Season (United States)

October to December

Preparation

They are picked bright orange, when ripe and sweet, and rinsed before being eaten whole. 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?

Darwin describes them in his voyage: the Fuegians lived almost entirely on them in certain seasons.