Caesar mushroom (Caesar mushroom, Caesar’s fly agaric, Caesar fly agaric, egg): photo and description, how to cook, cooking recipes

The Caesar mushroom also bears the names – Caesar’s Fly Agaric, Caesar’s or Caesar’s mushroom (lat. Amanita caesarea). It grows in vast areas, is found in the forests of many countries in Europe, Asia and North America. In the people, this species is often called the Egg Mushroom, due to the fact that at the very beginning of its development the fruiting body is covered with an egg-shaped cocoon. He found application in many areas, including in traditional medicine. Caesar mushroom is used to prepare an independent dish and as a food additive.

A photo of Caesar’s mushroom and a description of how this species can be cooked so that it does not lose its beneficial qualities are presented below.

Description of fly agaric Caesar with photo

Amanita Caesar, as seen in the photo below, differs from the typical representatives of this family. Its appearance diverges from the generally accepted idea of ​​​​a fly agaric – white blotches are not visible on its hat. In shape and size, the fruiting body looks like a poisonous double – Amanita muscaria. Therefore, it is important to know the key features of its appearance in order not to confuse an edible product with a life-threatening mushroom.

Cap Description

The cap of a young Caesar mushroom has a rounded shape, which is clearly visible in the photo. As the fruiting body grows, it acquires flatter forms and can reach 10-18 cm in diameter. Sometimes there are specimens with a hat diameter of about 22 cm.

In mature specimens, the edges of the cap are velvety to the touch. The color of the hat varies from rich yellow tones to light brown with an admixture of red. The flesh of the Caesar fly agaric is fleshy and juicy, pleasant to the taste. The underside of the cap is dotted with thin stripes.

Description of the leg

The description of the Caesar mushroom indicates that its leg is 7-12 cm high and about 3 cm thick, as you can see in the photo below. Its shape is cylindrical, at the base it takes the form of a mace. Color – yellowish-ocher with an admixture of orange. Volvo at the bottom of the leg is bag-shaped and rather free. Its width can reach 4-5 cm. A characteristic feature of the species is a ring of the same color hanging from the leg. Slightly above this ring, stripes begin, going to the hat, but they are weakly expressed and barely noticeable.

Edible fly agaric Caesar or not

Despite the rather intimidating name, the Caesar fly agaric is an edible mushroom. There are no poisonous components in the fruiting body, so it can be eaten. At the “egg” stage, it can be consumed raw, without heat treatment.

How to cook Caesar mushroom

There are various recipes for the preparation of Caesar mushroom, among which there are both very gourmet dishes and quite simple ones – in this case the process takes no more than half an hour. This type can be boiled, fried and baked. Regardless of the method of preparation, the taste remains very delicate. Amanita Caesar is served as an independent dish or added to vegetable stews, soups and meat dishes.

Adult mushrooms should not be served without heat treatment, however, young mushrooms that have not yet grown from an egg-shaped shell are allowed to be cut into salads. It is enough to rinse them thoroughly beforehand.

Stewed Caesar mushroom with cream

This is one of the most popular Caesar mushroom recipes.

1. Mushrooms are thoroughly washed and finely cut into cubes.
2. The resulting mass is poured into a pan and stewed over low heat for 5-8 minutes.
3. Then heavy cream is added to the dish, mixed and left on fire for another 15 minutes.

Caesar mushroom with bacon

As the basis for the dish according to this recipe, it is necessary to select the youngest mushrooms. The cooking algorithm is as follows:

1. Mushrooms are washed, dried and carefully twisted their legs. This will free up space for the filling.
2. The separated legs are finely chopped and fried with garlic for 3-4 minutes over medium heat.
3. Then grated cheese.
4. Mushroom legs in a pan are poured with sour cream (2 tablespoons) and stewed for a few more minutes, without covering with a lid.
5. After that, bacon is cut into thin slices, no more than 1 mm thick.
6. 1 egg is beaten and hats with filling, legs stewed in sour cream, cheese and 1 teaspoon of beaten eggs are laid out on a special baking paper. All this is placed on sheets of bacon.
7. Each bacon sheet is wrapped around a stuffed hat and secured with a toothpick.
8. The dish is baked in the oven for 15 minutes at a temperature of 180°C.

The dish is served at the table with greens.

Fried Caesar mushroom in butter

This recipe is very simple: just put a piece of butter on a hot frying pan and pour finely chopped mushrooms into it on top. Caesar fly agaric is fried in butter for about 15 minutes, at the end the dish is salted and peppered to taste. Greens are added to the dish before serving.

What is useful Caesar mushroom

Caesar fly agaric is a rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals. The concentration of phosphorus, calcium and ascorbic acid is especially high in its pulp. The benefit of dishes from it also lies in the fact that it is a low-calorie product that is easily absorbed by the body. An extract from Amanita Caesar is used as an adjuvant in the treatment of cancer.

Useful properties of Amanita Caesar have a beneficial effect on the human body:

• relieves fatigue and helps with rapid fatigue;
• strengthens the immune system;
• reduces the risk of developing heart and vascular diseases;
• makes a person less susceptible to stress.

Contraindications to the use of Caesar fly agaric

The use of Amanita Caesar has limitations. It should not be added to food in the following cases:

• with urolithiasis;
• persons with gout;
• with individual intolerance.

How and where does the Caesar mushroom grow?

Caesar’s fly agaric makes rather high demands on air purity, so it is impossible to meet it near cities and major highways. Most often, the Caesar mushroom comes across in deciduous forests in southern Europe, and it can also be found in the subtropical zone. On the territory of Our Country, the concentration of Amanita Caesar in the Crimea is especially high.

It is worth looking for under old trees: oaks, chestnuts, beeches and birches. Caesar mushroom is found under hazel trees. Occasionally, there are areas strewn with Caesar’s Amanitas, which are located on the border of the forest and the field. They grow in large groups and are rarely seen alone.

The species grows intensively at a temperature of +20°C. You can collect Caesar’s Fly Agaric from the first days of July to mid-October.

Twins and their differences

Amanita Caesar has several dangerous counterparts that contain poisonous components in their fruiting body. Similarity with them is observed at different stages of development of the species.

Young fruiting bodies, not yet “hatched” from the egg-shaped shell, look like pale grebes, the use of which is fatal. You can distinguish the Caesar mushroom from the poisonous double with the help of an incision that is made on the egg shell and inspect the contents of the cocoon. In a young pale grebe, all parts of the fungus have a faint greenish color, close to white. Caesar fly agaric – golden orange inside a white shell.

An adult Caesar mushroom looks like a red fly agaric – an extremely poisonous mushroom that should never be eaten. They can be distinguished by white flakes on the hat, which are strewn with a poisonous double. Fly agaric Caesar has a clean hat. In addition, Amanita muscaria has a more intense red color. You can also distinguish between these two species by the stem – in the Caesar fly agaric, the volva is free and bag-shaped, and in the red fly agaric, it grows to the base.

Also, Amanita Caesar has an edible analogue – the Caesar mushroom of the Far East. The essential difference between these species is that in the Far East the hat has a rich red color, while in Caesar it is light brown, slightly reddish. The Far Eastern variety grows in the deciduous forests of Primorsky Krai, in its southern part.

Interesting facts about Caesar’s fly agaric

In antiquity, this mushroom was called royal and was considered one of the best. He was glorified in his works by various writers – for example, the famous ancient author Juvenal mentioned Caesar’s fly agaric in his “Satires”. In addition, records about him are found in the Roman general Lucullus, a well-known gourmet of that time.

Is it possible to grow Caesar’s fly agaric mushrooms on the site

Caesar fly agaric is not very popular with gardeners and gardeners, which is explained by its high demands on temperature and soil composition. The growing conditions of this species on the site are as close as possible to natural ones. Amanita Caesar grows very slowly – it fully matures a few years after planting.

There are several ways to transplant Amanita Caesar:

1. Planting material is crushed into a bucket and poured with rainwater. For 2 days, the resulting mixture is infused at a temperature of about + 20 ° C, after which the contents of the bucket are poured near a suitable tree.
2. Carefully dug mushrooms from the forest are transplanted to the garden plot.
3. Planting material is crushed and buried under the trees, but not very deep.

Conclusion

The Caesar mushroom was called that way for a reason – in ancient times it was a real decoration of the table of Roman emperors. This does not mean that complex gourmet dishes are made from it – it is not difficult to cook Amanita Caesar. Raw materials for a dish can be collected in a deciduous forest in warm latitudes or grown independently in a garden plot, but the latter option is associated with a large time investment. Finally, it is important to know the key differences between the Caesar mushroom and similar varieties – it has several poisonous counterparts, the consumption of which can be fatal.

You can learn more about Caesar’s Fly Agaric from the video: