Muer black mushroom
The world of mushrooms is large and varied, the idea of the total number of species is constantly changing. Mushrooms do not belong to either the animal or the plant world - they just stand apart, have a lot of useful properties for humans. Of particular interest is the black muer mushroom growing in Asia.
Muer black mushroom
Description of the mushroom
This mushroom resembles burnt paper and smells a little smoked, and its pulp is slightly sweet in taste. For those who see this strange organism for the first time, it will hardly remind of anything edible.
This fungus grows on deciduous and coniferous trees, it is often found on alder, and is found in the Far Eastern region of the Russian Federation.
The popular name - "Judah's ear" - this organism received because of the shape of the fruiting body, the shape of which resembles a human ear. Muer mushrooms prefer a temperate climate for their development. They usually settle in places with a sufficient amount of light and moisture.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
By the way of feeding, muer, or auricular auricular can be both a saprotroph and a parasite. How can this be combined in one mushroom? At first glance, this is rather strange. However, if you pay attention to the substrate that the mushroom chooses for its life, everything will immediately become clear. If auricularia settles on weakened tree species, then in this case, the organism of the fungus acts as a parasite. If mycelium develops on dead wood, the fungus will be a typical saprotroph. For its normal life, the mushroom prefers elderberry and alder.
The fruit bodies of the black fungus are often found in city parks on tree trunks, along the roadsides on dead stands and even in gardens on fruit plants.
Views
In Russia, black mushrooms are rare guests. They are little known and are often bought dried. Two types are considered edible: Auricularia auricular (Black ear) and Auricularia hairy (Silver ear).
Description of Auricularia auricular:
- the fruiting body ranges from 2 to 10 cm in diameter;
- body thickness - up to 5 mm;
- the leg is absent, therefore they say that the fruiting body is sedentary;
- the appearance resembles a human auricle;
- hymenophore smooth;
- jelly-like pulp;
- the surface is velvety to the touch;
- weak pleasant aroma.
The color of the ears changes with age. Young organisms have a purple hue, then they become brown, darken, but retain a purple hue.
Black woody mushrooms do not grow one at a time, they are collected from trees in groups, like oyster mushrooms.
The description of auricularia hairy is somewhat different:
- lighter shade;
- fruiting bodies become denser with age, lose their translucency;
- the consistency of the pulp is gristly;
- weak aroma.
It is grown artificially on straw and trees in China. In Russia, this species is common in Primorye.
Beneficial features
Europeans do not collect muer, considering it useless and tasteless. Black wood mushrooms are more common in the Asian world, they are eaten and used for anti-aging procedures, they are treated with them.In China and Thailand, the beneficial properties of these products are used to create decoctions, tinctures, ointments and medicines. On the territory of Russia, gourmets use them in cooking and truly create masterpieces of haute cuisine.
The use of muir when creating dishes is limited only by the size of the cook's imagination, because these mushrooms have a great taste, aroma, which is said to be rich and refined. Dried muer mushrooms are an excellent seasoning for soups, meat, poultry, fish, and vegetable dishes.
The mushroom is suitable for dietary nutrition
This organism surpasses meat in the amount of protein. It contains:
- phosphorus;
- calcium;
- vitamins D, B;
- enzymes;
- a nicotinic acid;
- iodine;
- enzymes that prevent the formation of blood clots in blood vessels;
- polysaccharides, etc.
Thanks to these elements, muer is widely used in medicine and dietetics. The Chinese mushroom helps to get rid of excess weight and completely replenishes the lack of vitamins, saturates the body with microelements.
Contraindications and harm
These organisms do not contain any toxic substances. They have poisonous counterparts. But they, like sponges, absorb harmful substances from the environment.
It is not worth picking mushrooms in urban areas, as well as near factories, garbage dumps and roads. Such "gifts" of nature can cause poisoning, similar to poisoning with poisonous mushrooms.
The chitin content in them is high and people with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract should refrain from consuming large quantities of muer.
Children under 14 years of age do not have the required amount of enzymes to process such heavy food, therefore, there are restrictions on the use of muer for them.
Application in medicine
The main beneficial properties of this product include its antioxidant effect. Antioxidants are compounds that protect our body from the harmful effects of toxic compounds coming from the environment by any means (food, breathing, water). Muer promotes recovery processes in the body and prevents the formation of blood clots in blood vessels and capillaries.
On its basis, drugs are created for the treatment of thyroid diseases. The Chinese tree mushroom protects the body and promotes its recovery after severe operations or diseases. The polysaccharides extracted from it help fight cancer.
In dermatology, muer is used to create extracts, ointments and tinctures used in the treatment of skin diseases. For example, psoriasis, etc. are treated with such means in just a few courses.
Regular use of "ears" is useful for diabetics and people suffering from anemia and hypertension. They lower cholesterol levels, normalize the work of the heart and regulate the acidity of the stomach (acidity determines the secretion of hydrochloric acid in the walls of the stomach by special glands of a certain, low concentration). They have anti-inflammatory and antiviral effects. The stomach walls calm down and mucosal irritation disappears.
Chinese medicine believes that auricularia stops aging and promotes cell regeneration, which is of immense benefit for the normalization of the amount of water in the body. Shredded mushrooms added to boiled rice can help relieve swelling.
Regular intake of mushrooms during viral epidemics helps prevent infection by pathogens.
Cooking applications
Black and silver "ears" are similar in taste. They have a pleasant aroma and excellent taste. The dried parts are pre-soaked in cool water for 3-4 hours. The fruit body swells, increases in volume by 6-8 times.
Muer tastes more like cartilage or jelly.
Culinary experts are happy to use this product to create original sauces and seasonings. They add it to soups, meat and fish dishes."Ears" are suitable for filling pies, for salting, frying or baking.
Irina Selyutina (Biologist):
When buying packaging with muer in the supermarket, carefully read the instructions for its preparation. However, there are some points that are implied but not indicated. Therefore, please note:
- First, the muer must be soaked so that the mushrooms from the pressed mass become separate specimens. Attention! You cannot use hot water to soak the muer, because when exposed to high temperatures, you will end up with something slimy and unsuitable for food. Water slightly warmer than room temperature is suitable for this purpose.
- After soaking, they need to be sorted out, rinsed and filled with cold water for at least 12 hours. Although there are recipes that give different time frames for soaking.
Fans of this mushroom often recommend to lightly salt the drained mushrooms and season with a small amount of 9% vinegar before cooking.
They are almost never used as independent dishes in European cuisine. But Asian cuisine is famous for its wide variety of dishes with the addition of these woody organisms. In Korea, they are fried with hot red peppers and other spices, sprinkled with fresh herbs and served as a main course. "Silver ears" are well suited as a side dish for fried or boiled potatoes, rice and pork. It goes well with fresh vegetables in salads.
Conclusion
Muer is sold dried in sachets. It is not difficult to prepare it. It is important to carefully examine the purchase so as not to buy a spoiled product or a fake, to make sure that there are no drops of moisture in it and that the color of the mushrooms is even (black or dark gray), there are no spots and inclusions. If you do not intend to cook immediately, then the bag should be placed in a cool dry place.
