How to Tell Real Red Mushrooms from Fake Ones? Learn the Method to Identify Dyed Red Mushrooms
There are many kinds of red mushrooms on the market, and they are a mixed bag. Some are real red mushrooms, and some are fake. Fake red mushrooms are generally passed off using a mushroom called manshanhong, which is also red in color. Friends who do not know how to identify them think they are red mushrooms, but their nutrition is vastly different from that of red mushrooms. Let us take a look below at how to tell real red mushrooms from fake ones!
The Producing Areas and Distribution of Red Mushrooms
Wild authentic red mushrooms are mostly produced in Yanling County, Hunan, Pubei County, Qinzhou, Guangxi, the Funiu Mountain area of Henan Province, and Wuyishan and Sanming in Fujian, among other places. They are also distributed in Jiangxi, Sichuan, Shaanxi, Yunnan, Liaoning, Hubei and other places. Abroad, they are distributed in Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and other places.
How to Identify Red Mushrooms
1. Shape: A real red mushroom has a deep red cap surface, a dark red center, and horizontal wrinkles. The gills on the underside of the cap are fine, dense and even, the stem is pink, and the mushroom body is rounded (of course, it cannot be ruled out that the shape of some red mushrooms is damaged during growth or picking), and the stem and gills are also all red (for manshanhong, the gills are not red and the stem is also red only in some places).
2. Stem: A real red mushroom's stem must have small holes. This is the unique feature that distinguishes red mushrooms from other mushrooms (the stems of shiitake, tea tree mushrooms and brazil mushrooms are all solid).
3. Color: When a real red mushroom is put into water, the water will also turn red. The reason red mushrooms are red is that they naturally contain pigment, so turning red is certain. The only difference is that the water from fake red mushrooms will be dark red and smell of dye, while the water from real red mushrooms will be pink and have a slight mushroom fragrance. After cooking, as the nutritional components of the mushroom enter the soup, the color of the mushroom will also fade completely.
Variety Classification of Red Mushrooms
1. Authentic red mushroom: The authentic red mushroom is also called true red mushroom, big red mushroom, red zhui fungus, big red fungus, big vermilion mushroom, etc. It is a precious edible fungus with a delicious taste and high nutritional value. Besides being eaten, it can also be used medicinally. The fruiting body is generally medium-sized and grows in groups on the ground in broad-leaved forests in summer and autumn. It is distributed in Sichuan, Shaanxi, Fujian and Yunnan, and is produced in abundance in northwestern Fujian and the Gaoligong Mountain area of Yunnan.
2. Poisonous red mushroom: The poisonous red mushroom is also called vomiting red mushroom, coffin lid, small red-faced fungus, etc. Its appearance is similar to that of the red mushroom, but its fruiting body is generally smaller, and after eating it mainly causes gastrointestinal inflammation. Symptoms include severe nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea. Generally, timely induced vomiting and treatment are used; in severe cases, facial muscle spasms, heart weakness or circulatory failure may lead to death. It is distributed in Hebei, Jilin, Henan, Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian, Hunan and other places.
3. Bitter red mushroom: The bitter red mushroom is also called rose red mushroom, peach blossom fungus, red pepper mushroom, etc. It is edible. The fruiting body is small or medium-sized, and the cap diameter is 4-7 cm. It is initially hemispherical to flatly hemispherical, later gradually flattening with the center depressed, and is rose red or nearly blood red or with vermilion. In summer and autumn, it grows scattered or in groups on the ground in mixed coniferous and broad-leaved forests. It is distributed in Liaoning, Jilin, Henan, Sichuan, Hunan, Guangdong, Yunnan, Zhejiang, Fujian and other places.
4. Green-headed fungus: The green-headed fungus is also called green-turning red mushroom, green lid, green fungus, green mushroom, qinggang fungus, etc. The fruiting body is medium-sized to slightly large. The cap is initially spherical, quickly becomes flatly hemispherical and gradually spreads out, and the center is often slightly depressed. It is not sticky, light green to grayish green, and the surface is often patchily cracked. When old, the margin has stripes. It is edible and delicious. It is mainly produced in the primitive forest area of the "Three Parallel Rivers" region in western Yunnan, where the growing environment is extremely pure. It mainly grows among the grass in forests, and mushrooms appear from June to September each year.
5. Pear red mushroom: The pear red mushroom is also called pear mushroom. The fruiting body is generally medium-sized, and the cap diameter is 5-10 cm. It is flatly hemispherical, and after flattening the center is depressed, ultimately nearly funnel-shaped. It is light cyan-brown, green-gray or pink-gray, slightly sticky when wet or after rain, often with fine cracks, and the margin has no stripes, or has indistinct stripes when old. The flesh is white. In summer and autumn, it grows singly to in groups on the ground in broad-leaved forests. It is distributed in Fujian, Hubei, Guangdong, Guizhou, Sichuan and other places.