Caesar’s mushroom is also called Caesar’s mushroom, simply royal or Caesar’s fly agaric. But, despite the popular name associated with fly agarics, this mushroom is quite edible. It has no characteristic taste or aroma, but is highly valued by chefs who use it raw and cooked.
The presented product belongs to low-calorie ones, since the local indicator for this part is only 22 kcal per hundred grams. Most of the mass comes from carbohydrates and almost exclusively from proteins. And fats occupy only 5% of the total number of biologically active components.
Interesting information
Even in ancient times, people attributed the presented delicacy to exquisite delicacies. It was not only baked, but also fried on an open fire, dried for the winter period.
If quiet hunters managed to find a family with “calves”, then they were cut off without damaging the Volvo, so that they could then be sent to the salad without prior heat treatment. But here one should be extremely vigilant, since in this form their description is almost identical to the babies of the pale grebe. Only a cut test can prevent trouble, since inside the forest inhabitants are completely different.
Despite the fact that the world knows this representative of the flora as Caesar’s mushroom, the contemporaries of the great commander themselves preferred to call it “boleti”.
Another clue for those who are still bad at distinguishing edible representatives from false ones is the habitat. Knowing where this delicacy grows, it will be more confident to put it in your basket. Most often it can be found under oaks, beeches, chestnuts in the territory of deciduous or mixed forests.
Natural gifts prefer dry places where it is warm and sandy soil prevails. Initially, they delighted the gourmets of North Africa from Mexico, and more recently they have been seen on the territory of Georgia, Russia, Ukraine, and Azerbaijan.
natural healer
The classic Far Eastern look is able to please with a rich composition of trace elements, minerals, and other nutrients. It was adopted even by specialists from the field of pharmacology.
American scientists, together with colleagues from Japan, in a series of experiments found that the enzymes of the caesarean fungus can serve as an effective prevention against cancer. In addition, it has a beneficial effect on the health of men.
This is explained by a decrease in the risk of diseases associated with stopping the functioning of the prostate gland. Hence the logical recommendation of doctors to add a useful novelty to the menu more often.
Thanks for all the useful qualities should be the chemical composition of the product, which offers:
- calcium;
- nicotinic acid;
- phosphorus;
- vitamins of groups B, PP, D and A;
- folic acid.
Another factor in favor of this plant is a high protein rate, which has a positive effect on the general condition of the body. And due to the low calorie content, you don’t have to worry about a plump figure.
The pulp is well digested, without leaving a feeling of heavy sediment in the stomach, as is the case with the use of heavier mushrooms. Taste qualities will also please, as the middle here is very tender.
The only significant drawback here is the ability of delicacies to absorb various heavy metals like:
- mercury;
- cadmium;
- selenium;
- lead.
To avoid this, you need to listen to the advice of doctors, moving away from busy roads, crowded places, industrial zones, landfills when harvesting. It is also recommended to avoid buying from the hands, as it is not known where the seller took his goods. It is better to look for an additive to the menu on your own, or purchase it in certified stores. In the latter, you can always require a document confirming the quality of the products, because special farms grow mushrooms for sale on an industrial scale.
You also need to carefully read the contraindications for use, the list of which includes:
- gout;
- allergy;
- urolithiasis disease.
Even individual intolerance is possible, which is closely related to the allergic reaction of the body.
Culinary use
Most often, the lamellar type of plant can be found in dishes of Caucasian cuisine, whose representatives definitely know a lot about good food.
Before cooking, first the hostesses should figure out whether they will conduct heat treatment or not. Due to the lack of a certain outstanding aroma of a forest dweller, you can simply wash it, cut it, send it to a salad with fresh herbs. The solution will be especially successful if you put young specimens on a plate, or previously separated hats.
And it is recommended to put out the legs or send them to fry, which is associated with a more rigid structure. The perfect couple will be:
- vegetable stews;
- soups;
- meat dishes;
- stewed poultry.
If the harvest was not personally harvested by the consumer, but he has to make a serious choice in the store, then you definitely need to pay attention to the appearance. When the cap is left intact, it allows the core to retain nutrition for longer. You also need to focus on choosing specimens of golden orange or red. No dark inclusions are allowed, indicating a long storage period that may exceed the allowable limit.
If the delicacy will be stored fresh immediately after assembly, then this should be done only in a refrigerator, and not more than five days. It is very important to first transfer each copy with a kitchen paper towel or a clean rag. This will prevent direct contact. After preliminary preparation, the acquisition is stored in a paper bag, setting off to wait for its finest hour.
If gourmets got dried blanks, then this is not a reason not to store them in dry freezing mode. Only the container will change. Drying is best sent either in a glass container with a tight-fitting lid, or a plastic food container. This will allow the winter “drafts” not to be saturated with moisture, extraneous odors.
Dried ingredients can be stored for up to 10 months.
Gourmet Tips
Despite the many warnings that only experienced specialists can go into the forest in order to replenish mushroom stocks, not everyone is guided by this rule. Hence there are numerous cases of food poisoning due to confused edible specimens with similar poisonous counterparts.
Doctors note that even accidental eating of dangerous forest dwellers usually always ends much more seriously than ordinary food intoxication. If you find in yourself the first signs of a deterioration in well-being, up to nausea and a rise in temperature after a dubious meal, you should immediately call an ambulance.
In order not to bring the situation to a deplorable outcome, you need to be able to distinguish between the closest poisonous “relatives”, among which is the red fly agaric. The main differences are as follows: the edible counterpart has a smooth cap, while the poisonous one has white growths; plates, legs of the Caesar mushroom have a golden yellow color, in contrast to the white color of a real dangerous fly agaric; the remains of the lower part of the stem of the caesarean fungus received a sac-like shape, while remaining wide, while the red fly agaric received ring-shaped remains at the base.
The main mistake of beginner quiet hunters is the blind belief that fly agaric must be red. This is a myth, because some subspecies may exclude both the characteristic white specks on the hat and not be red at all.
Cooking on ketsi
Having chosen real edible mushrooms, it’s time to cook them. This will require 1 kg of the main ingredient, 100 g of ghee, 200 g of suluguni, salt, pepper, and other spices to taste.
First, the workpiece is washed under running water, leaving it to drain in a colander, and then cut into large pieces. On a ketsi (clay frying pan) spread butter, mushrooms in a single layer, salt, pepper, sending to the oven for 15 minutes, setting 200 degrees.
Five minutes before the end, they spread the suluguni chopped into cubes on top and wait until it spreads, after which they take out the food.
Exquisite oriental goodies will have both everyday and festive tables.