More than 40,000 subscribers can't be wrong. Best eaten young as the older specimens become woody and acrid to the taste. Change ), You are commenting using your Google account. Change ), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Aside from that, the Chicken of the Woods just looked better in the pan. It’s mushroom season here in the Great Smoky Mountains. Though the nomenclature is similar, the mushrooms are NOT the same. Ah, well, it was a glorious day for a walk in the woods…. Chicken of the Woods Mushroom Cacciatore⦠they taste like chicken! How do chicken of the woods taste? A warning for mushroom and chicken aficionados: the Laetiporus has been known, albeit in very small percentages, to cause allergic reactions. Unfortunately for me, and happily for everyone else in the family it seems, the husband is developing a special skill for finding and identifying edible mushrooms. Earlier this year it was oyster mushrooms. They actually look very much like oysters once cooked, taste like rancid fish, and have the texture of eels. Saying something "tastes like chicken" is a bit of a cliché for a palatable food, but in the case of these foods, it's the truth. When the bounty is more than plentiful, it’s time to share. If the mushrooms are seen fruiting, you can be sure that the fungus has already attacked the tree. ( Log Out / This makes them easy to spot and identify, which is great for amateur mycologists. This past weekend we hosted a local foods potluck with a wild mushroom tasting featuring hen of the woods, black trumpets, smooth chanterelles, yellow foot chanterelles and lion’s mane. Serve over rice and enjoy! Iâm not personally interested in eating any sort of mushroom, and truthfully I donât like anyone else in the family eating them either. Iâve never known, or even known someone who knew someone who died from misidentifying a mushroom. Still, why risk death for something that looks like mold and tastes like squish anyway? As summer approaches, be on the lookout for another round of choice edible mushrooms... especially this one — Chicken Of The Woods. ( Log Out / Join the ZME newsletter for amazing science news, features, and exclusive scoops. But some weird foods really do taste like chicken. Here’s why, Marsupial rave: wombats have glow-in-the-dark fur, Scientists compile the world’s largest inventory of known plant species, Climate change brings more infectious diseases. "Tastes like chicken" - I mean, they say that about everything, right? Be wary of what you eat from the woods, though. Chicken of the Woods hiding as well as a bright orange mushroom can hide. Well, in a sense. But what’s ‘Yule’ anyway? In western North America, Laetiporus sulphureus doesn’t naturally occur at all, however, two lookalikes do: Laetiporus gilbertsonii (on eucalyptus) and Laetiporus conifericola (on conifers). It has had many synonyms and was finally given its current name in 1920 by American mycologist William Murrill. Laetiporus means “with bright pores” and sulphureus means the color of sulfur. A Guide to Mushrooms That Taste Like Chicken. Some species, especially Laetiporus sulphureus, are commonly known as sulphur shelf, chicken of the woods, the chicken mushroom, or the chicken fungus because many think they taste like chicken. Have you ever noticed that with yours? For instance, Laetiporus huroniensis, which is almost identical to  Laetiporus sulphureus, seems to cause poisoning more often than L. sulphureus, and may also sometimes interbreed with the latter, making it even more difficult to distinguish the two species. L. huroniensis only grows in northeastern North America and seems to love conifers. Old fruitbodies fade to pale beige or pale grey. Once in a while though, if you have a good eye, you might be able to spot some that are really young and just … Plus some people swear they taste just like chicken, which makes them sound pretty approachable and a great substitute for meat in vegetarian or vegan dishes. The video in the link shows the fairly obvious differences. Its common names are crab-of-the-woods, sulphur polypore, sulphur shelf, and chicken-of-the-woods.Its fruit bodies grow as striking golden-yellow shelf-like structures on tree trunks and branches. Interestingly, I’m a vegetarian, and I have been for more than 20 years. I have read and agree to the terms & conditions. They are so good. As with most food that has lost color, older Chicken of the Woods is neither tasty nor recommended. Have you seen them, heard of them, tasted them? I remember hearing Paul Stamets say that he thinks a lot of bad reactions from chicken of the woods may be caused by people eating older specimens, which have already began to rot. To me, the taste is so much like chicken that I find it hard to eat. The young Chicken of the Woods is “succulent” and has a mild flavor. The name "chicken of the woods" is not to be confused with another edible polypore, Maitake (Grifola frondosa) known as "hen of the woods", or with Lyophyllum decastes, known as the "fried chicken mushroom". Super cool! Once reconstituted they plump to a moist wrinkled semi-circular fan with a sulphur-straw color and faint fungus aroma. Change ). When you harvest the Chicken of the Woods mushroom it is best to harvest it when it is still young, soft and moist. 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