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Dried mushrooms are a convenient way to prolong the shelf life of forest gifts. Added even in a small amount to a dish, they make it gain a deep flavor.
Mushrooms are organisms on the borderline between the world of plants and animals, but belong to a separate category. A scientific dispute lasting several decades ended with the naming of fungi as a separate form of life. It turned out that fungi, thanks to mycorrhiza, i.e. the coexistence of plant cells and fungi, keep almost the entire plant world alive. So far, 1.5 million species of fungi have been identified. It is a huge family, but the name dried mushrooms is associated only with cap mushrooms.
According to research, mushrooms were already present as one of the types of food during the Paleolithic period. They were always available in nature and many of them were also attributed with medicinal effects, such as arboreal hubs. Mushrooms have valuable nutritional values that have only recently been appreciated. They can be even counted as superfoods.
The most protein is found in button mushrooms and ceps. Mushrooms, also called ceps, contain all amino acids that must be supplied to the body with the diet, the so-called essential amino acids. The good news for proponents of a plant-based diet is that boletes can replace meat in this regard. Dried mushrooms, such as boletes, contain almost twice as much protein as beef and it is perfectly digestible. Compared to meat, however, dried mushrooms do not contain vitamin B12.
Mushrooms are nutrient dense, i.e. there is a lot of nutritional value in a small amount. Therefore, dried mushrooms are a good addition to meals, because even a small pinch of them visibly enriches the dish, and not only in taste. Fats in mushrooms are mainly unsaturated fatty acids, and mushroom fruiting bodies contain small amounts of simple sugars. The only exception is oyster mushroom, which contains the most natural sugars.
Boletes and bay boletes contain valuable vitamin D. Oyster mushrooms provide folic acid in the diet. All dried mushrooms provide niacin, vitamin PP, which is important for the proper functioning of the nervous system and the synthesis of hormones. Chanterelles contain significant amounts of vitamin B1 in an amount comparable to baker’s yeast. Mushroom caps contain a lot of microelements: copper, zinc, iodine and manganese.
A characteristic of mushrooms is that they intensively absorb heavy metals such as cadmium, lead, mercury and others released into the environment by industrial plants and automobile traffic. Mushrooms growing in fields and forests are increasingly contaminated with these health-threatening heavy metals. Organic dried mushrooms come from certified areas that are carefully monitored for contamination. Online store organic24.pl offers dried mushrooms such as: bay bolete, boletus and shiitake.
how to use dried mushrooms? Dried organic mushrooms, such as brown bay bolete and boletus, are dried in cut form – the whole section of the mushroom is visible – the cap and the foot. Shiitake is dried whole. The mushrooms should be soaked before use. Softened mushrooms can be cut and added to cooked, stewed or baked dish. Dried mushrooms are a very valuable taste addition to bigos, stews or soups.
Main photo: Customer’s material
