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).

The Chanterelle Mushrooms Substitution That's Sweetly Affordable. 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.

A golden buttery yellow, chanterelle mushrooms are the most common edible wild mushroom around the globe. They have a very unique flavour compared to other mushrooms. Chanterelles are slightly fruity and can even have a hint of apricot or peach flavour, without the sweetness, of course.

Cap convex, becoming flat to funnel shaped, sunken in center, sometimes flowerlike; orange to orange-yellow; texture smooth. Underside orange to yellow, smooth or slightly ridged; does not have true gills. Stalk can be curved or off-center; orange to yellowish to whitish; texture smooth; flesh is white.

The false chanterelle is considered poisonous, and may cause serious digestive problems. Among other toxins, it contains high levels of the sugar alcohol arabitol. The mushroom was sometimes described as edible (though not tasty) until 1999. Fries described it as venenatus, meaning "poisonous", in 1821.

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.

If you're specifically worried about the *quantity* that you eat: Particularly with chanterelles, they contain a toxin called gyromitrin when raw. Consuming large amounts of raw chanterelles can lead to vomiting and headaches. However, cooking these mushrooms destroys the toxin, so they're safe when cooked.

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.

What do chanterelles taste like? The bright golden-brown color and wavy tops of chanterelle mushrooms make them stand out from the outset, but it's their flavor and texture that makes them so desirable to chefs. These delicate mushrooms have a peppery flavor that some people describe as lightly fruity.

Refrigerate: You can store raw chanterelles in the refrigerator. Places the mushrooms in a paper bag or in a bowl loosely covered with a paper towel to let them breathe. They will last up to ten days in the refrigerator. If the chanterelles turn slimy, discard them.

Can you eat chanterelle raw? ›

Though not as common as some other mushroom varieties, dried and fresh chanterelle mushrooms can likely be found at many specialty stores, online retailers, and farmers' markets in your area. You can enjoy them raw or cooked, though most people prefer the flavor and texture of cooked chanterelle mushrooms.

Freshly picked, unwashed chanterelles can keep for up to 10 days in the fridge. If you buy them packaged and there's a use-by date, let that be your guide. If buying them loose at a market or grocery store, the people working there should be able to tell you how fresh they are.

Jack O'Lanterns (Omphalotus sp.) are bioluminescent fungi that decompose woody debris in hardwood forests. Their orange colors and seasonal fruiting patterns resemble those of many Chanterelle species, but unlike the latter fungi, Jack O'Lanterns are toxic.

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

False Chanterelle's also tend to be fairly uniform in their cap making a nice round shape as you can see in the photo above. Lastly, many report that they can smell the difference between a true and false Chanterelle, reporting that a true Chanterelle will smell fruity while a false one will just smell like a mushroom.

Notable for its lack of true gills, Chanterelles possess intricate, forking folds that run partially down the stem. These descriptive details distinguish chanterelles from their main poisonous look-alike, the Jack O'Lantern mushroom (Omphalotus illudens).

Unfortunately, they are a few non-edible mushrooms that are commonly mistaken for chanterelles. These include the jack o'lanterns and the false chanterelle. Although neither of these mushrooms are fatal, neither are good for eating.