Cantharellus

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Cantharellus

Cantharellus is a genus with many popular edible mushroom

Edible mushroom

Edible mushrooms include thousands of types of mushrooms that are harvested, and others that are not easily cultivated, such as the Tuber and the matsutake, which is prized....
s. It is a mycorrhiza

Mycorrhiza

A mycorrhiza is a symbiosis association between a fungus and the roots of a plant. In a mycorrhizal association the fungus may colonize the roots of a host plant either intracellularly or extracellularly....
l edible fungus

Fungus

A fungus is a Eukaryote organism that is a member of the Kingdom Fungi . The fungi are a monophyletic group, also called the Eumycota , that is phylogeny distinct from the morphologically similar slime molds and water molds ....
, meaning it forms symbiotic associations with plant

Plant

Plants are Life organisms belonging to the Kingdom Plantae. They include familiar organisms such as trees, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae....
s, making it very challenging to cultivate

Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
. Caution must be used when identifying chanterelles for consumption; lookalikes, such as the Jack-O-Lantern (Omphalotus olearius), can make a person very ill. Still, the golden chanterelle is one of the most recognized edible mushrooms and can be found in Asia

Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, Europe

Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, North America

North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
and Australia

Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
.

Some species of Cantharellus, such as the yellowfoot chanterelle, have been re-examined and moved to the closely related genus Craterellus
Craterellus

Craterellus is a genus of generally edible fungi similar to the closely related Cantharellus, with some species recently reassigned to this genus....
.

genus Cantharellus contains many species known generally as chanterelles, though for the most part the name refers to the most famous species C.

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Encyclopedia

Cantharellus is a genus with many popular edible mushroom
Edible mushroom

Edible mushrooms include thousands of types of mushrooms that are harvested, and others that are not easily cultivated, such as the Tuber and the matsutake, which is prized....
s. It is a mycorrhiza
Mycorrhiza

A mycorrhiza is a symbiosis association between a fungus and the roots of a plant. In a mycorrhizal association the fungus may colonize the roots of a host plant either intracellularly or extracellularly....
l edible fungus
Fungus

A fungus is a Eukaryote organism that is a member of the Kingdom Fungi . The fungi are a monophyletic group, also called the Eumycota , that is phylogeny distinct from the morphologically similar slime molds and water molds ....
, meaning it forms symbiotic associations with plant
Plant

Plants are Life organisms belonging to the Kingdom Plantae. They include familiar organisms such as trees, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae....
s, making it very challenging to cultivate
Agriculture

Agriculture refers to the production of food and goods through farming and forestry. Agriculture was the key development that led to the rise of civilization, with the animal husbandry of domestication animals and plants creating food surpluses that enabled the development of more Population density and Social stratification societies....
. Caution must be used when identifying chanterelles for consumption; lookalikes, such as the Jack-O-Lantern (Omphalotus olearius), can make a person very ill. Still, the golden chanterelle is one of the most recognized edible mushrooms and can be found in Asia
Asia

Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent. It covers 8.6% of the Earth's total surface area and, with over 4 billion people, it contains more than 60% of the world's current human population....
, Europe
Europe

Europe is, conventionally, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural , the Caspian Sea, and by the Caucasus Mountains to the southeast....
, North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
and Australia
Australia

Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
.

Some species of Cantharellus, such as the yellowfoot chanterelle, have been re-examined and moved to the closely related genus Craterellus
Craterellus

Craterellus is a genus of generally edible fungi similar to the closely related Cantharellus, with some species recently reassigned to this genus....
.

Species
The genus Cantharellus contains many species known generally as chanterelles, though for the most part the name refers to the most famous species C. cibarius. The following are just a few examples of the more popular edible species.
C. cibarius: The best known species of this genus is the Golden chanterelle, which is orange or yellow, meaty and funnel
Funnel

A funnel is a pipe with a wide, often conical mouth and a narrow stem. It is used to channel liquid or fine-grained substances into containers with a small opening....
-shaped. On the lower surface, underneath the smooth cap, it has gill
Gill (mushroom)

A gill, or lamella, is a papery hymenophore rib under the cap of a mushroom, most often but not always an agaric. As fungi are studied in more detail, several other types of fungi exhibit gills while not members of the Agaricales....
-like ridges that run almost all the way down its stipe, which tapers down seamlessly from the cap. It has a fruity smell and a mildly peppery taste, and is considered an excellent food mushroom. The European girolle, a variant of C. cibarius, has a thicker stalk and stronger flavor.

C. subalbidus: In California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
and the Pacific Northwest of USA
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
there is also the White chanterelle, which looks like the golden chanterelle except for its off-white color. It is more robust with a thicker stalk, and found in lesser numbers than the golden chanterelle, but can otherwise be treated as its yellow cousin; some believe the flavor is superior.

C. formosus: The Pacific golden chanterelle has recently been recognized as a separate species from the golden chanterelle. It forms a mycorrhizal association with the Douglas-fir
Douglas-fir

Douglas-fir is the English name applied in common to evergreen Pinophyta trees of the genus Pseudotsuga in the family Pinaceae. There are five species, two in western North America, one in Mexico, and two in eastern Asia....
and Sitka spruce
Sitka Spruce

The Sitka Spruce is a large coniferous evergreen tree growing to 50?70 m tall, exceptionally to 100 m tall, and with a trunk diameter of up to 5 m, exceptionally to 6?7 m diameter....
forest
Forest

File:Stara planina suma.jpgA forest is an area with a high density of trees. There are many definitions of a forest, based on various criteria....
s of the Pacific Northwest. This chanterelle has been designated Oregon
Oregon

Oregon is a U.S. state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. The area was inhabited by many indigenous tribes before the arrival of traders, explorers and settlers....
's state mushroom, due to its economic value and abundance.

Use in food
Chanterelles in general go well with eggs
Egg (food)

An egg is a round or oval body laid by the female of many animals, consisting of an ovum surrounded by layers of membranes and an outer casing, which acts to nourish and protect a developing embryo and its nutrient reserves....
, curry
Curry

Curry is the English language description of any of a general variety of spiced dishes, best known in Asian cuisines, especially South Asian cuisine....
, chicken
Chicken

The chicken is a Domestication fowl. Recent evidence suggests that domestication of the chicken was under way in Vietnam over 10,000 years ago....
, pork
Pork

Pork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig . The word, pork, is often meant to denote specifically the fresh meat of the pig, but it can be used as an all-inclusive term, to include cured, smoked, or processed meats It is one of the most-commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig animal husbandry dating back...
, fish
Fish

A fish is any marine biology vertebrate animal that is typically ectothermic , covered with scale , and equipped with two sets of paired fins and several unpaired fins....
, beef
Beef

Beef is the culinary name for meat from bovines, especially domestic cattle . Beef is one of the principal meats used in the cuisine of Australia, European cuisine and the Americas, and is also important in Africa, East Asia, and Southeast Asia....
and veal
Veal

Veal is the meat of calves . Though veal can be produced from any calf, most veal comes from male calves of dairy cattle breeds. Compared to other meats, veal has a delicate taste and tender texture....
, can be used as toppings on pizza
Pizza

Pizza is a world-popular dish of Italy origin, made with an oven-baked, flat, generally round bread that is often covered with tomatoes or a tomato-based sauce and mozzarella cheese....
s, be stewed, marinated
Marination

Marination, also known as marinating, is the process of soaking foods in a seasoned, often acidic, liquid before cooking. The origins of the word allude to the use of brine in the pickling process, which led to the technique of adding flavor by immersion in liquid....
, sauteed, or used as filling for stuffed crêpes. Of course these are just examples; chanterelles are versatile and can be added as an ingredient to most dishes.

In European cuisine, Chanterelles are often served with venison
Venison

Venison is the culinary name for meat from the family Cervidae. Deer meat, whether hunting or farmed, is termed venison....
. A traditional method of preparing these mushrooms is sauteed and then used to make scrambled eggs.

It is a feature of Viennese cuisine.

Preparation and storage
Since the mushrooms hold a lot of water
Water

Water is a common chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of life. In typical usage, water refers only to its liquid form or States of matter, but the substance also has a solid state, ice, and a gaseous state, water vapor or steam....
, they are often prepared using a "dry sauté" method: after cleaning, the mushrooms are sliced and put in a covered pan over high heat with no oil or butter. The mushrooms then release much of their water, which can be allowed to boil off or be poured off and used as a stock.

Chanterelles can also be pickled in brine
Brine

File:Kissingen-Solepumpe-1848.JPGFile:Kissingen-Solepumpe-1848-2.JPGBrine is water Saturation or nearly saturated with a Salt .It is used to preserve vegetables, fish, and meat, in a process known as brining ....
. Salted water is brought to a boil and pickling spices such as peppercorn
Black pepper

Black pepper is a flowering plant vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning....
s, mustard seed
Mustard seed

Mustard seeds are the small seeds of the various mustard plants. The seeds are about 2 mm in diameter, and may be colored from yellowish white to black....
s, and thyme
Thyme

Thyme is a well known herb; in common usage the name may refer to* any or all members of the plant genus Thymus ,* common thyme, Thymus vulgaris, and some other species that are used as culinary herbs or for medicinal purposes....
are added. The mushrooms are then cooked in this solution for 5–10 minutes before being transferred to sterilized
Sterilization (microbiology)

Sterilization refers to any process that effectively kills or eliminates transmissible agents from a surface, equipment, article of food or medication, or biological culture medium....
bottles along with some of the liquid. Sliced garlic
Garlic

Allium sativum L., commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion family Alliaceae. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, and chive....
and dill
Dill

Dill is a short-lived perennial plant herbaceous. It is the sole species of the genus Anethum, though classified by some botanists in a related genus as Peucedanum graveolens C.B.Clarke....
can be added to the bottles for extra flavor. The remaining liquid forms an excellent stock
Stock (food)

Stock is a flavoured liquid. It forms the basis of many dishes, particularly soups and sauces. Stock is prepared by simmering various ingredients in water, including some or all of the following:...
for making soup
Soup

Soup is a food that is made by combining ingredients such as meat and vegetables in Stock or hot/boiling water, until the flavor is extracted, forming a broth....
. When pickled in this way, chanterelles can last from six to twelve months.

Another storage technique is drying
Drying (food)

Drying is a method of food preservation that works by removing water from the food, which prevents the growth of microorganisms and decay. Drying food using the sun and wind to prevent spoilage has been known since ancient times....
. Mushrooms can be dried with gentle heat in an oven at temperatures of 65°C (149°F) or less. A vacuum process
Freeze drying

Freeze-drying is a dehydration process typically used to Food preservation a perishable material or make the material more convenient for transport....
is also practical on large orders. A few hours before final preparation, put dry mushrooms in water which they absorb for returning to nearly original size. Mushrooms can then be used as fresh, and will last indefinitely as dry.

Fresh chanterelles can generally be stored up to ten days in a refrigerator
Refrigerator

A refrigerator is a cooling appliance comprising a thermal insulation compartment and a heat pump - a mechanism to transfer heat from it to the external environment, cooling the contents to a temperature below ambient....
.

Habitat
Associated with conifers and with oaks
Oaks

Oaks is also the name of horse racing open only to three-year-old filly:*Epsom Oaks at Epsom Downs Racecourse in Epsom, Surrey, England.*Kentucky Oaks at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Kentucky....
in California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
and Texas
Texas

Texas is a U.S. state located in the South Central United States, nicknamed the Lone Star State. Texas is the second largest U.S. state in both area and population, spanning , and with a growing population of 24.3 million residents....
.

In Scotland chanterelles grow in mixed forest with a preference for silver birch and scots pine, usually found in the same places as wild blueberries. A walk in the woods after its rained should prove fruitful. They are particularly abundant in the Trossachs and Aberfeldy/Dunkeld areas of Scotland

Similar species
The False Chanterelle (Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca
Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca

Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, commonly known as the False Chanterelle, is an orange funnel-shaped mushroom which has been confused at times with the true Cantharellus, however recent work shows its affinity lies with the Boletes in the order Boletales....
) has finer, more orange gills and a darker cap. It is edible, but typically a culinary disappointment. The very similar Jack O'Lantern mushroom (Omphalotus olearius) and its sister species (Omphalotus olivascens) are very poisonous, though not lethal. They have true gills (unlike chanterelles) which are thinner, have distinct crowns, and generally do not reach up to the edge. Additionally, the Jack-O-Lantern mushroom is bioluminescent.

External links

as of 2003-07-28
as of 2003-07-28
as of 2003-07-28
as of 2003-07-28
as of 2003-07-28
for photograph of Cantharellus formosus (Pacific Northwest Fungi Featured Fungus Number 7)