Are morel mushrooms poisonous? What should be done to reduce or even eliminate their toxicity?
Find out everything you need to know about the morel toxicity and the best ways to get rid of it!
Here we go!
Are Morel Mushrooms Poisonous?
All morels are excellent edibles and their taste is so refined! However, they are toxic when raw! So be careful when cooking your morels!
What Is The Toxin In Morel Mushrooms?
The morel contains a molecule, haemolysin, a toxin capable of destroying red blood cells and even causing kidney failure in the most severe cases. But serious poisonings are rare. Indeed, the most classic symptoms related to poisoning of raw morels are manifested by digestive disorders and disappear after 24 hours. Thus, a possible morel poisoning does not require specific treatment.
Hemolysin Can Be Destroyed
Good news! Indeed, the molecule in question can be destroyed by prolonged cooking or drying of the morel. In this regard, we will explain to you, in the following section, how to properly eliminate this toxin to make your morels suitable for consumption.
Limit Your Consumption
Be careful not to consume too much morels at the same time or too often. Indeed, several cases of neurological poisoning linked to excessive consumption of morels have been reported. The most prudent thing is to limit yourself to a few morels per person (less than 10 morels) for each meal.
You Can’t Eat Raw Morel Mushrooms
So to conclude, you cannot eat raw morels because they contain a toxin that is only destroyed after cooking.
How To Remove Their Toxicity.
As we have just seen, the morel loses most of its toxicity when cooked or dried. Indeed, whether you use dried morels, fresh or frozen morels, the ideal is to respect a sufficient cooking time and a sufficiently high cooking temperature.
As the scientific literature is relatively limited on the subject, it is commonly recommended to cook them for 20 minutes to be safe, although faster cooking might do the trick.
Find Morel Mushrooms With Our Maps !
Do you want to know where the best morel mushroom spots are located in your state? Explore the forests and explore our Mushroom Maps! Treat yourself!
In addition, if you want to know how to look for morels, discover our article to find out where to find morels.
Congratulations, you have reached the end of the article!
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