Chanterelles (Cantharellus spp) are a group of choice wild edible mushrooms commonly found in forested areas of North America, Eurasia, and Africa. They have a wonderful, slightly fruity flavor, are difficult to cultivate due to their mycorrhizal growth habit, and are able to be safely identified by the beginning to intermediate mushroom forager. All in all, they are a prized forest find!
Chantarelles are small to medium-sized yellow or sometimes red mushrooms. They grow from the ground singly or in small clumps, generally in mid to late summer. They prefer drier, well-drained ground in wooded areas—you can often find them on hillsides in forests. The color will range from pale to bright yellow, or in the case of Chantharellus cinnabarinus, a bright orange-red. Caps are generally funnel shaped, with wavy margins.
The key identifying feature of chanterelles are their pseudogills. It’s important for a mushroom forager to understand how to differentiate different spore-producing structures across mushrooms. All chanterelle species have what are called pseudogills, NOT true gills. Chanterelle pseudogills are rounded veins running between the outer cap margin and the stem, or stipe, of the mushroom. They will often have forks toward the outer cap margin, and in some species show a weblike pattern. The edges of these pseudogills will be blunt, never sharp, and they will not easily flake away from the cap.
Chanterelles have at least one common toxic look alike, the Jack O’Lantern mushroom, Omphalotus illudens. Jack O’Lanterns have true gills, making them easy to differentiate if the forager understands this characteristic.
True gills are thin, flaky, and have sharp edges. They appear almost like pages of an (admittedly oddly shaped) book, with the cap of the mushroom serving as the binding. If you run your thumb over true gills, they will easily flake apart from the cap.
Another differentiating characteristic between Jacks and chanterelles is the interior color and texture. Both mushrooms are yellow on the outside (though jacks may tend slightly more orange than most chanterelles), but chanterelles will be white or very pale yellow on the inside. Jack O’Lantern mushrooms will hold their yellow-orange color all the way through the cap and stem. Chanterelles also have an interesting stem stipe texture; they are solid all the way through but will easily flake apart into strands very similar to string cheese. Jack O’Lanterns maintain a more consistent, solid interior texture.
Chanterelles have an edible look-alike in the yellow trumpet mushrooms. Trumpet mushrooms, Craterellus spp, are another relatively common edible wild mushroom. They form two loose groups, the black trumpet mushrooms, and the so-called “yellow foot chanterelles” (not at all confusing, right?). Yellow foot chanterelles closely resemble true Cantharellus spp in most regards. One key difference is that the stipe of all Craterellus spp are hollow, and perforate the funnel shaped cap. Again, Cantharellus spp all have solid stipes. Yellow-foot chanterelles so closely resemble true chanterelles that they were at one point taxonomically classified within the Cantharellus genus. Again, both genus of mushrooms are equally edible!
Chanterelle mushrooms are delicious prepared in a variety of mushroom dishes. Our family enjoys a coconut milk-based curry featuring fresh chanterelles, seasonal veggies, rice, coconut milk, and curry paste. They have an excellent, firm texture in addition to their unique fruity flavor, and can really excel cooked whole as well. Like all wild mushrooms, it is important to make sure they are thoroughly cooked—undercooked mushrooms can cause upset stomachs due to their chitin content, and some mushrooms are even toxic raw. Sometimes even edible mushrooms can cause reactions in sensitive individuals, so it is wise to eat just small amounts of a new mushroom at first.
Overall, chanterelles are a delicious and safe wild mushroom that even newer foragers can identify if they pay attention to detail and understand what they are looking for. As with any foraging, it is important to have a basic understanding of the biology of the organisms you are foraging, and to use accurate identification resources!
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