Can You Eat Puffball Mushrooms Raw? All you need to know!
Most puffballs are not poisonous and can be eaten either raw or cooked. The puffball mushroom gets its name due to the “puff” of brown spores.
As long as the inside of the mushroom is white, you can eat puffballs raw or cooked. First of all, you have to identify healthy mushrooms.
But how can you identify if a mushroom is a puffball or not? The best way to check if you have a puffball is to cut the mushroom in half from the top of the cap to the bottom. It means you have to be sure the mushroom has no gills, pores, cap, stem, or spine. If there are any gills present, then it isn’t a puffball mushroom.
If a mushroom is a pure white on the inside, with no sign of gills at all, then it’s a puffball. They can be quite large, round, and white. Anything else is a different type of mushroom that may cause an upset stomach or even severe poisoning.
So it should be absolutely, perfectly white. If it’s yellow or greenish, it’s too old, look for another one. You can also eat puffball skin, just make sure you brush it clean.
Are Puffball Mushrooms Healthy?
Mushrooms are widely known for their amazing health benefits. Puffball mushrooms have great nutritional content (they’re rich in protein and low in calories).
They increase your cardiovascular health, boost your immune system and also contain an interesting chemical compound called calvacin. This compound is now being studied as a potential anticancer drug because of its antitumor properties.
They seem to be safe when eaten in normal amounts. But the health benefits don’t stop there. The mushroom cap and spores are used as medicine. A lot of people take puff balls for nosebleeds and skin disorders. Not enough is known about the use of puffballs during pregnancy and breastfeeding.
In China, puffball mushrooms are called Ma Bo and they’re similarly used to treat bleeding and hemorrhages. They have been used in Eastern medicine for centuries to treat everything from asthma to gout. Researchers found that incorporating any variety of mushrooms into your daily diet will lower your risk of cancer.
Mushrooms make an excellent substitute for red meat while minimizing calories, fat, and cholesterol so they help to keep cholesterol levels low. Loaded with many health-boosting vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, they’ve long been recognized as an important part of any diet. Mushrooms, in combination with exercise and other lifestyle changes, can have an important impact on weight loss.
The antioxidants in puffball mushrooms are also thought to reduce the risk of hypertension and other metabolic disorders.
How Poisonous Are Puffballs?
Most of them are not poisonous, but some fatally poisonous mushrooms look a lot like puffballs when they are young. Numerous poisonous mushrooms look like puffballs that you don’t want any part of.
So, to identify puffballs, pay close attention to the following features:
-Puffballs are typically spherical or upside-down pear-shaped.
-The flesh is white, firm, and sponge-like when young, but becomes yellowish or brown and softer as it matures (this is when you shouldn’t eat them).
So it’s good to remember that they are safe to eat only if you know how to identify them. Clean them as necessary.
If you have a dog, you might know that puffball mushrooms are more dangerous to dogs because dog noses are so much more powerful.
Do You Have To Cook Puffball Mushrooms?
Yes, you do. Because if you don’t cook puffballs properly, they can get soggy. Don’t forget to cut them into slices using the biggest, sharpest knife you’ve got.
You can cook puffball mushrooms on the grill but battering and frying is other popular way to cook up puffballs. For cooking fresh, you can cut the mushroom into hunks that will fit in the fridge.
How Do You Prepare Puffball Mushrooms To Eat?
There’s nothing more satisfying than finding a huge puffball in the wild and bringing it home for cooking. A lot of people serve beautifully as side dishes with dinner entrees. Puffballs have a mild mushroomy taste that some people describe as earthy. They can be used in endless recipes.
The skin on some varieties of giant puffballs can also be tough, so some foragers prefer to remove it as part of the preparation. Smaller puffball varieties can be sliced and sautéed in garlic butter for a nice side dish.
Get inspired below with our amazing tasty puffball mushroom recipes:
• Puffball mushroom lasagna
Layers of grilled puffball mushroom slices cooked in oil and melted butter topped with tomato sauce, bechamel sauce, and spinach filling come together to make this scrumptious delicacy. Once the lasagna is assembled, top it with shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheese and bake uncovered until the crust is golden brown. Serve hot!
• Fried puffball mushrooms
The classic way to create a tasty dish, in this recipe, you dip puffball mushroom slices in a mix of flour, egg, and breadcrumb and fry until crispy brown. Serve it as-is with a wedge of fresh lemon or pair it with a green salad or your favorite veggie side dish!
• Puffball mushroom hummus
Turn the earthy mushroom into creamy hummus with this easy recipe. Baked skinned and diced puffball mushroom until crispy and nutty brown, then puree it along with seasonings in a food processor or blender until smooth. You can also store this creamy, nutty dip in the fridge for later use.
• Puffball Parmesan
If you’re looking for a creamy cheesy puffball recipe then you must try Puffball Parmesan. This chicken parmesan-inspired recipe consists of breaded fried puffball mushrooms topped with homemade tomato sauce, bechamel, mozzarella, and parmesan.
• Puffball mushroom pizza
Make a simple Puffball Mushroom Pizza with tomato sauce, puffball mushrooms, Italian seasoning, and plenty of shredded cheese.
The best thing is that it’s hard to go wrong with puffball recipes, so feel free to experiment.
