Everything about Morchella totally explained
Morchella, the true
morels, is a genus of edible mushrooms closely related to anatomically simpler
cup fungi. These distinctive mushrooms appear
honeycomb-like in that the upper portion is composed of a network of ridges with pits between them. These
ascocarps are prized by gourmet cooks, particularly for
French cuisine. Commercial value aside, morels are hunted by thousands of people every year simply for their taste and the joy of the hunt. Morels have been called by many local names; some of the more colorful include
dryland fish due to their similarity in taste to fish; and "merkels" or "miracles," based on a story of how a mountain family was saved from starvation by eating morels ("The Day the Sun Came Out" by Dorothy M. Johnson).
Location of morels
The morel grows abundantly in the two and sometimes three years immediately following a
forest fire. However, where
fire suppression is practiced, they may grow regularly in small amounts in the same spot year after year. Commercial pickers and buyers in
North America will follow forest fires to gather morels. The Finnish name,
huhtasieni, refers to
huhta, area cleared for agriculture by slash and burn method. These spots may be jealously guarded by mushroom pickers, as the mushrooms are a
delicacy and sometimes a
cash crop. Although no
symbiotic relationships have been proven between morels and certain tree species, experienced morel hunters swear by these relationships. Trees commonly associated with morels include ash, sycamore, tuliptree, dead and dying elms, cottonwoods and old apple trees (remnants of orchards). However, they're more commonly found under deciduous trees rather than conifers. Morels have not yet been successfully farmed on a large scale, and the commercial morel industry is largely based on harvest of wild mushrooms.
Morels are a feature of many cuisines, including Provençal. Though morels are typically sold dried or canned, they can be purchased fresh. When preparing fresh morels, never soak them as this will ruin their delicate flavor.
Types of morel mushrooms
The best known morels are the Yellow Morel or Common Morel (
Morchella esculenta); the White Morel (
M. deliciosa); and the Black Morel (
M. elata). Other common names for morels include Merkel, Sponge Mushroom and Molly Moocher. In the
Appalachian mountains in
Tennessee, Southwestern
Virginia and
Kentucky they're known as dry land fish and hickory chickens. When gathering morels, care must be taken to distinguish them from the poisonous false morel (
Gyromitra esculenta and others). Other species of true morels include
M. semilibera and
M. vulgaris. Discriminating between the various species is complicated by uncertainty regarding which species are truly biologically distinct.
Mushroom hunters refer to them by their color (for example, gray, yellow, black) as the species are very similar in appearance and vary considerably within species and age of individual.
Toxicity
Morels contain small amounts of
toxins that are usually removed by thorough cooking, and morel mushrooms should never be eaten raw. It has been reported that even cooked morels can sometimes cause mild poisoning symptoms when consumed with alcohol.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Morchella'.
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