With a bit of luck, you can sometimes spot football-sized, white mushrooms without a stalk on a walk through nature. These tasty edible mushrooms are Boviste. But beware: Not all Boviste are edible.

In a nutshell

  • young giant puffballs edible
  • must have white, firm flesh (inside and outside).
  • stop eating when they turn brown
  • easily confused with young death cap mushrooms
  • To test, cut through the middle and check for lamellar attachments

Edible giant puffball

The giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea), which grows mainly in meadows and cattle pastures, not only looks very similar to young mushrooms (and is significantly larger), but is also related to them. As with edible meadow mushrooms, the mushroom flesh is white and firm, but the giant puffball has neither lamellae nor stalks. Characteristic features:

  • can become football big
  • between 10 and 50 centimeters in diameter
  • several kilograms heavy
  • rounded shape
  • no stems
  • no fins or tubes

Giant puffballs can be collected between June and September.

Tip: This delicious edible mushroom can be found not only on meadows and pastures, but also on old meadow orchards and occasionally in sparse forests with high pine populations.

Harvest only young specimens

But be careful: the giant puffball is only edible when young. Older specimens turn brown inside and out, and the inside also becomes very soft and powdery. In this state, the mushroom is not poisonous, but it is inedible and should be left alone. The fruiting body has now developed up to seven trillion spores, which suddenly and explosively emerge when the spores are ripe. Incidentally, the Bovist owes its name to the noise it makes, because "Bovist" is derived from the early New High German "vohenfist", which means something like "fox fart".

risk of confusion

Young giant puffballs can easily be mistaken for the highly toxic death cap (Amanita phalloides) by inexperienced collectors. You should therefore always use small spherical mushrooms

  • cut in the middle
  • pay attention to slats on the inside
  • if lamellae are visible: leave the mushroom where it is
  • then it is death cap mushroom
  • also stalk base refers to death cap mushroom

The death cap mushroom is one of the most poisonous types of mushrooms in Germany and causes deadly poisoning even when consumed in small amounts. The fungal toxin primarily attacks the liver and leads to organ failure.

Death cap (Amanita phalloides) (left) & Bovist (right)

Notice: Death caps are often eaten by snails, but this is no indication that they are harmless. Snails do not have a liver like humans do, so the liver-damaging toxin cannot take effect on them.

Inedible puff pastry

In addition to the tasty giant puffball, there are also puffballs that are inedible or even poisonous. These include the potato puffs like

  • thick-skinned potato puffball (Scleroderma citrinum)
  • the leopard skin puffball (Scleroderma areolatum)
  • and the Brown Warty Hartbovist (Scleroderma verrucosum).

Potato puffs grow primarily in coniferous forests, more rarely in deciduous forests, and prefer acidic, rather nutrient-poor soil. Despite their rounded, bulbous fruiting bodies, these species can be easily distinguished from the white giant puffball because, even when young, they have a brownish, partly coarsely fielded exterior and a violet to brown coloration on the inside. Edible puff pastries always have white and firm flesh. Potato puffs grow between July and December. They are common in Europe and should be left alone.

Thick-skinned puffball (Scleroderma citrinum)

Notice: Whether potato puffball or giant puffball; these species, also known as abdominal fungi, have an unpleasant odor that, in older specimens, is strongly reminiscent of urine.

frequently asked Questions

How do Boviste taste?

Basically, you should only eat young giant puffballs with firm, white flesh. They taste not unlike mushrooms, have a mild and pleasant aroma. They can also be seasoned very well and used as a meat substitute, for example. However, these edible mushrooms are not suitable as seasonings due to their low taste.

How can I prepare Boviste?

Usually, giant puffballs are cut into slices about one centimeter thick, which are heavily seasoned, rolled in beaten egg and flour and then fried like a schnitzel. Salt, pepper, fresh or dried herbs (e.g. parsley) as well as onions, garlic and sweet paprika powder are suitable for seasoning. You can also cut the mushroom flesh into bite-sized cubes and prepare it seasoned like goulash.

What if I accidentally ate a puffball?

You probably won't eat too much of the potato puff as it lacks the mild flavor of the edible giant puff. In addition, the often strong, urine-like smell is a quick deterrent. Otherwise, you may suffer from abdominal pain, possible vomiting and diarrhea, and circulatory problems. However, the potato puffball is not deadly poisonous - in contrast to the death cap mushroom, which unfortunately also has a pleasantly spicy mushroom taste and is therefore not recognized as a toadstool. In this case, please go to the emergency room or call an ambulance immediately!

Category:

Vegetable garden