Ear fungus no longer recommended for dinner tables – “The police won’t come through the door if you eat it”, says the president of the Mushroom Association
You should be careful when eating ear fungi, advise the president of the Mushroom Association and an expert from the Food Authority.
The mushroom season is just around the corner, but is the mushroom known as the northern truffle still safe to eat?
Sippola explains that at one time there was a national mushroom regulation that defined, among other things, what mushrooms could be sold. Ears mushrooms were on the list.
The regulation was abandoned in 2012. However, the predecessor of the Food Authority, Evira, continued to maintain the list of recommended food ingredients.
Sippola has no exact information on when the ear sponge was removed from the list.
– The removal was due to the fact that careful pre -treatment does not make fungi non -toxic.
Earrings can still be traded under special conditions
Correct pre -treatment of ear fungi is extremely important.
\”We are not advised to give up the ear fungus, but we urge you to follow cautious thinking, that is, to continue to take care of very good pre -treatment,\” Sippola opens.
For the sake of certainty, it is recommended that several consecutive ear mushrooms should not be enjoyed.
Ear mushrooms may also be sold, but the point of sale must have a warning mark on toxicity and the treatment instructions for ear fungi.
The general guide in Finland has been that the ear fungus can be used in cooking after the right cooking and drying, even though the ear fungi are deadly toxic.
Untreated ear fungi contains a poison called Gyromitrin, which, according to the Food Agency, causes acute poisoning at high concentrations. Some of the poison remains after the sponge treatment.
Poisoning is targeted at the digestive tract, the central nervous system and the liver. In addition, the gyromitrin and its metabolic products are possibly carcinogenic compounds.
From time to time, the poisoning information center will receive contacts with ear fungi.
“The police won’t come through the door if you eat ear mushrooms”
– I think the overall acceptability of the ear fungus, especially among younger people, decreases a lot.
According to Koskinen, warning about poison risks is now more easily received than 40 years ago.
Koskinen calls for other mushrooms to vary and reasonably. Mushrooms are not harmless food if they are repeatedly eaten in large quantities within a short period of time.
Nothing will continue to prevent the collection and use of ear fungi.
– The police will not come through the door if you eat ear fungi, even though it is not on the list of recommended food mushrooms there, says Koskinen.
He advises to practice the use of a new food mushroom and collect it until spring needs.
– The ear sponge has not become more dangerous or harmless. Listen to the recommendations of the authorities who really always work to the best of their knowledge and skills.