Champignons: description of mushrooms and useful properties, composition and calorie content, harm and contraindications. The secrets of cooking delicious meals. The beneficial ingredients of these mushrooms determine their popularity. It is well known that these are living beings that have the properties of animals and plants. This explains the presence in champignons of a large amount of carbohydrates, fatty acids, proteins, as well as vitamins, minerals and amino acids.
Interesting! Champignons contain no less phosphorus than fish and other seafood.
Harm and contraindications to the use of champignons
It is believed that champignon is a harmless type of mushroom. Nutritionists recommend even children to eat it, but do not forget that excessive use is by no means unacceptable. And little ones should beware.
What harm can champignons do:
- Diseases of the pancreas, liver, gastrointestinal tract … Chitin, which is present in mushrooms, can cause irreparable harm to the body. It is contained in the cell membrane of the fungus, does not dissolve with hydrochloric and sulfuric acids, and, accordingly, in the stomach.
- Consequences of exposure to toxic substances … If you find champignons near a swamp, dump and other similar places, then keep in mind that mushrooms grown in such conditions will not bring you any benefit, and harm to the body is guaranteed. Since they are capable of absorbing all toxic substances, their location is very important, and you should pay attention to this!
- Slow down the digestive system … Doses of champignons for children from 5 years old should be minimal, as they are heavy and impair the functioning of the child's gastrointestinal tract.
- Reducing the absorption of nutrients by the body … For good absorption of other useful vitamins and minerals, champignons are recommended to be consumed in limited quantities.
In general, champignons have no contraindications, except for a person's personal intolerance.
Pay attention to the external similarity of the champignon with the pale toadstool and various types of fly agarics. Mushroom pickers should be careful when picking mushrooms in the forest, as young champignons are quite easy to confuse with poisonous species. They are distinguished only by the presence of a volva at the base of the leg.
Champignon recipes
Back in the 17th century, the inhabitants of France began to actively use champignons in the national cuisine. Nowadays, this delicacy has become popular not only as an independent snack and side dish, but also as a secondary component of gourmet dishes. You can do anything with champignons: dry, fry, pickle, salt, cook soups from them, but the taste is always pleasantly surprising. They go well with meat and vegetables. There are a lot of ways to cook champignons, but really hearty and simple ones are not enough.
Here are some quick and versatile cooking methods:
- "Accordion potatoes" … This simple champignon recipe is perfect for any housewife. Make cuts in each potato, but do not cut through to the end. For the filling, take medium-sized chopped mushrooms, chopped herbs, which are seasoned with pepper. Next, the stuffed potatoes are placed on an iron sheet greased with olive oil. Then cover with foil and wait 30 minutes. The potato accordion is ready.
- "Castle of France" … If you are a gourmet, prefer "French meat" and mayonnaise is unacceptable for you, then this recipe is perfect. Its specialty is the Béchamel sauce, with the preparation of which we will begin. Put butter, flour in a frying pan, then a small amount of nutmeg. We heat over the fire, stirring all the time, then add milk, the mixture should look like thick sour cream, and the sauce can be used. Put the chopped tomatoes in a silicone baking dish and pour in "Bechamel". The third layer is chopped mushrooms, and fill them with sauce. Put the onion as desired. The last component is pork meat, which is also covered with Bechamel sauce. At the end, put the foil on top of the dish and wait for an hour. And this dish will delight you! If you are a fan of herbs and grated cheese, use them when serving.
- Pate "Tenderness" … Soak the Blanche beans for 4 hours in cold water, then boil it (instructions on the package), drain the water and let it cool. During its preparation, fry the chopped onions and chopped carrots. Throw small pieces of champignons into a frying pan with vegetables. Frying is recommended until the stage when the liquid from the mushrooms disappears. Combine cooled vegetables with mushrooms with beans. Spices, herbs and salt to your liking. Then beat in a blender until smooth and fluffy. The result is a hearty, healthy and “forest” pate. Bon Appetite!
- Soup "It couldn't be easier" … Boil water. Fry the mushrooms in sunflower oil for 5 minutes, as well as chopped onions and minced meat. Be sure to add salt and pepper. Peel potatoes and grate on a fine grater. Send the fried minced meat with mushrooms, processed cheese and grated potatoes to the boiling soup. This mix should be cooked for about 15 minutes. Season to taste if desired. Serve the ready-made herb soup. It is amazing in that it only takes 20 minutes to cook it. Enjoy the taste!
- Chop in dough … In the beginning, we need the ingredients for making the dough: butter in the amount of 2 tablespoons and boiled water, and 350 g of flour; pour boiling water and butter into a container with flour, knead well and wait until it cools. Prepare the filling-sauce: cut the mushrooms into small slices, sprinkle with lemon juice, add salt and pepper, then let it brew; then fry this mass and add a spoonful of flour at the end. Cut the dough into 8 pieces, roll it out thinly and grease it with sauce, put a chop on each piece. The next layer is the dough with which we cover our meat. Fry until golden brown. We can sprinkle with herbs before serving. And please loved ones with this delicious and unusual dish.
- "Old City" salad … Fast, simple and tasty - but such a salad can also decorate the festive table. On a layer of boiled chicken fillet, cut into strips, put the fried mushrooms with onions, then cover with cheese, then tomato. We fill this "tower" with sour cream or mayonnaise and decorate with slices of olives. The salad looks like an unapproachable hail, but the taste will not disappoint you.
As you can see, seemingly straightforward recipes, but the dishes turn out to be great in taste and are suitable both for everyday life and for a festive table. Champignons can be a component of both a light salad and be an ingredient in a hearty meat dish.
Interesting facts about champignons
Interesting facts are devoted to the distribution of these wonderful mushrooms, many years of experience in application, storage secrets and great mushroom pickers. So:
- There are 60 types of champignons in the world, but cultivated and two-spore champignon is most widespread in agriculture.
- Champignons are preferred in the culinary arts by most of the countries of the world, even those that have a bias towards mushrooms, for example, Great Britain.
- Although, due to heat treatment, champignons are saturated with a mushroom aroma, but in their untreated form they taste similar to nuts.
- To better preserve the mushrooms, they should not be rinsed with water. Wrap in edible paper and place in a plastic container with holes in the freezer.
- It is undesirable to preserve champignons for a long time, because the longer these mushrooms lie, the more chitin accumulates in them, and this substance harms the body.
- In Russia, this product became relevant at the beginning of the 19th century, despite the huge source - the forest.
- Today champignons are cultivated in any corner of the planet, where it is only completely acceptable: Asia, Africa, Australia, South and North America and Europe. The first place in cultivation is the United States of America, slightly behind France and England.
- On one of his own plantations, he grew a 14-kg mushroom mushroom from Italy.
Watch a video about champignon mushrooms:
All mushrooms are already unique in their composition, since they are something in between animals and plants. But champignons "stand out from the crowd" with their composition, versatility, useful properties, compatibility with many products. It is not for nothing that the taste of these mushrooms delights people in many countries of the world, regardless of the distinctive national cuisine.