Mushrooms
are often classified as a vegetable or a herb, but they are
actually fungi.While there
are over 14,000 mushrooms, only about 3,000 are edible, about
700 have known medicinal properties, and fewer than one percent
are recognized as poisonous. People who collect mushrooms
for consumption are known as mycophagists, and the act of
collecting
them for such is known as mushroom hunting or simply "mushrooming".Only
specimens that are freshly picked or properly preserved should
be consumed and not too old. Once an edible mushroom loses
its freshness, bacterial colonies will form and stomach upsets
or worse symptoms can be expected if such specimens are ingested.
The
most commonly consumed mushroom in the world is Agaricus
bisporus or the white
button mushroom. It has two other forms
- Crimini or brown mushrooms with a more earthy flavor and
firmer texture, and Portabella mushrooms with a large umbrella-shaped
cap and meaty flavor.
The Egyptians considered mushrooms as
a delicacy, and the Greeks believed that mushrooms provided
strength for warriors
in battle. The Romans regarded mushrooms as a gift from God
and served them only on festive occasions, while the Chinese
treasured them as a health food.
Mushrooms contain about 80
to 90 % water and are very low in calories (only 100 cal/oz).
They have very little sodium
and fat and 8 to 10 % of the dry weight is fiber. Only about
45% of mushrooms produced are consumed in the fresh form.
The rest of the 55% is processed with 5% in the dehydrated
form and 50% in the canned mushrooms form. This shelf life
of mushrooms in the fresh form is very short. Hence mushrooms
are traded in the world market mostly in the processed form.
Some
mushrooms produce compounds that fight cancer! This was discovered
when scientists in Japan found that a community
had unusually low cancer rates. Mushrooms can be used for
dyeing wool and other natural fibers. The chromophores of
mushrooms are organic compounds and produce strong and vivid
colors, and all colors of the spectrum can be achieved with
mushroom dyes.
There are many health benefits of eating mushrooms.
They are a great source of phosphorus, magnesium, potassium
and
selenium, nutrients often lacking in our highly processed-food
diets. In addition, mushrooms contain virtually no fat or
cholesterol. Naturally low in sodium, mushrooms are also
a good source of fiber.
Netherlands is the largest exporter
of canned button mushrooms with a market share of about 38.5%.
China is second with
almost 30% of world trade. France is close third with 13.5%
of the world exports. As far as the import market goes, the
most significant buyer of canned white button mushroom is
Germany. It alone accounts for almost 40% of the world imports.
Apart from the above facts, mushrooms assists in immune
function, they are high in vegetable proteins and also
promotes good health and vitality. |
