Mörel

The morel is a Champignon Ascomycète pertaining to the group of the Pézizomycète S (in the past called discomycètes) (group without scientific but practical value to classify various the ascomycètes). It forms part about the Pezizale S and of the family of the Morchellaceae . It is a spring mushroom (cast iron of the Neige S), poor enough season for the Mycophage S and the Mycophile S. the morel is excellent edible, in condition however of being cooked well (toxic when it is raw).

Description

The morels are rather small mushrooms: even if there are exceptions, their size generally does not exceed 10 cm (maximum 20 cm). Their foot, of white color, is hollow. Their hat is alveolate, of a little rubbery consistency. They like the fresh grounds, the grounds limestones, the Verger S, the debris, or the places recently flarings. Two groups can be distinguished by their color and their form: fair morels, with the hat rather similar to a round sponge, and brown morels, with the less deep cells and the conical hat.

Principal species

  • Morchella rotunda : round morel. The hat and the foot have about the same length. It belongs to fair morels, with a hat whose colors vary pale yellow with brown clearly. The cells deep and are laid out in an irregular way.
  • Morchella esculenta : common morel. About identical to the preceding one (some make Mr. rotunda an alternative of Mr. esculenta ), its hat is a little brown and the coasts separating the thicker cells.
  • Morchella costata : costée morel. The hat, brown pale to grisâtre, carries vertical coasts brown sinks, thick, which give the impression by far that the mushroom is black. The cells, less deep than in the preceding species, are also delimited by less thick horizontal coasts. It is difficult to differentiate this species from others which are about similar for him, Mr. elata and Mr. deliciosa (delicious morel).
  • Morchella conica : conical morel. Species close to the preceding one, but which affectionate the mountain (wood of conifers) and has a hat more conique.
One must also attach to morels the tufted duck, Mitrophora will semilibera , with the foot much longer and the hat very short, conical, brown, at longitudinal and transverse coasts, good edible him too. Enough similar to the tufted duck, the verpe ( Verpa conica ) is characterized some by its hat color honey and its absence from cell, but it is very poor edible.

Gastronomy

The morel should not in no case to be consumed raw or insufficiently cooked. It contains a Toxine indeed involving a haemolytic and uremic Syndrome (destruction of red globules). A repeated fresh mushroom consumption can also cause some gastric disorders. In the event of heavy crop, it is preferable to make dry part of this harvest, the more so as the Dessiccation eliminates toxin contained in fresh mushrooms.

The morel is an excellent mushroom which, when harvest is little copier, will be perfect to make a Omelet with morels. It is exquisite with the cream, with a little Oporto or Banyuls. The dry morels (soaked two good hours in tepid water) can be used all the year, either to raise a Blanquette of veal, or to accompany a chicken or a Coq au vin yellow, or to stuff the Chapon S with Christmas.

Some receipts

Some photographs

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