Of the 120,000 species of mushrooms recorded in history, only 1,841 have been recognised as being edible.
This factoid from Easy Food magazine summer special 2009 is surprising if true. Stalker has previously heard mushroom experts say that most mushrooms are edible – that’s it is only a small percentage that is inedible or poisonous.
Perhaps there is a nomenclature mix up here – with mushrooms and fungi being used interchangeably. Needless to say that the top advice is never to eat any mushroom picked in the wild that is not 100% identified by the person intending to eat it.
Easy enough to remember that as we trundle into the season of mists and mellow fruitbodiness.
