Lactarius deliciosus
Encyclopedia
Lactarius deliciosus, commonly known as the Saffron milk cap, Red pine mushroom, is one of the best known members of the large milk-cap genus Lactarius
in the order Russulales
. It is found in Europe and North America and has been accidentally introduced to other countries under conifers and can be found growing in pine plantations.
A fresco in the Roman town of Herculaneum
appears to depict Lactarius deliciosus and is one of the earliest pieces of art to illustrate a fungus.
When grown in liquid culture, the mycelium of this fungus produces a mixture of fatty acid
s and various compounds such as chroman-4-one, Anofinic acid, 3-hydroxyacetylindole, ergosterol
, and cyclic dipeptide
s. http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=4177402
in 1753, giving it the name Agaricus deliciosus, the specific epithet deriving from Latin
deliciosus meaning "tasty". The Swedish taxonomist allegedly gave the species its epithet after smelling it and presuming it tasted as good as a Mediterranean milk cap highly regarded for its flavor. Dutch mycologist Christian Hendrik Persoon
added the varietal epithet lactifluus in 1801, before English mycologist Samuel Frederick Gray
placed it in its current genus Lactarius
in 1821 in his The Natural Arrangement of British Plants.
It is commonly known as saffron milk-cap, red pine mushroom, or simply pine mushroom in English. Its Catalan
name is rovelló or rovellons while its Castilian name varies (niscalo, mizcalo...). An alternate North American name is orange latex milky. Both this and Lactarius deterrimus
are known as Çam melkisi or Çintar in Turkey.
In the Girona
area, this type of mushroom is called a pinatell because it is collected near wild pine
trees; they are typically harvested in October following the late August rain. Due to its scarcity it commands high prices.
Lactarius deliciosus has a carrot orange cap which is convex to vase shaped, inrolled when young, 4 to 14 cm (1.5–7 in) across, often with darker orange lines in the form of concentric circles. The cap is sticky and viscid when wet, but is often dry. It has crowded decurrent gills and a squat orange stipe which is often hollow, 3 to 8 cm (1–3 in) long and 1 to 2 cm (0.4–0.8 in) thick. This mushroom stains a deep green color when handled. When fresh, the mushroom exudes an orange-red latex or "milk" that does not change color.
In North America, this mushroom is often confused with Lactarius rubrilacteus
which stains blue, exudes a red latex, and is also edible.
where it grows under Mediterranean pines. Both this fungus and L. deterrimus are collected and sold in the İzmir Province
of southwestern Turkey, and the Antalya Province
of the south coast.
It can also be found in woodlands in North America
as well as having been introduced to Chile
, Australia
and New Zealand
, where it grows in Pinus radiata plantations. A very popular place for collecting this mushroom, especially among the Polish community, is in the Oberon area in New South Wales, Australia, where they can grow to the size of a dinner plate. Many people of Italian
, Polish
, Ukrainian
and other eastern European ancestry in the states of Victoria and New South Wales, Australia travel to collect these mushrooms after autumn rainfall around Easter time. In Cyprus it is found in the pine forests where many people "hunt" them with vigour. It is considered as one of the local
delicacies.
Lactarius deliciosus is a widely collected mushroom in the Southern Pyrenees
and Majorca and used in Spanish Cuisine. One recipe recommends they should be lightly washed, fried whole cap down in olive oil with a small amount of garlic
and served drenched in raw olive oil
and parsley
. The same recipe advised that butter
should never be used when cooking this mushroom.
Further north and east it is a feature of Provençal
cuisine.
They are also collected in Poland
, where they are traditionally served fried in butter, with cream, or marinated.
They are also very known in Cyprus
, where they are usually cooked on charcoal and marinated with olive oil and lemon, or fried with onions with red wine.
In some older guides, the saffron milk cap is considered an excellent mushroom, having 'a crisp texture'. In fact, when naming the mushroom (deliciosus = delicious), the mycologist had mistaken the mushroom with Lactarius sanguifluus
, which is an excellent, pleasantly crunchy mushroom. Today, most mycologists hold Lactarius sanguifluus in higher esteem than its pretender, Lactarius deliciosus.
Lactarius
Lactarius is a genus of mushroom-producing fungi. The genus, collectively known commonly as milk-caps, are characterized by the fact that they exude a milky fluid if cut or damaged...
in the order Russulales
Russulales
The Russulales are an order of the Agaricomycetes,...
. It is found in Europe and North America and has been accidentally introduced to other countries under conifers and can be found growing in pine plantations.
A fresco in the Roman town of Herculaneum
Herculaneum
Herculaneum was an ancient Roman town destroyed by volcanic pyroclastic flows in AD 79, located in the territory of the current commune of Ercolano, in the Italian region of Campania in the shadow of Mt...
appears to depict Lactarius deliciosus and is one of the earliest pieces of art to illustrate a fungus.
When grown in liquid culture, the mycelium of this fungus produces a mixture of fatty acid
Fatty acid
In chemistry, especially biochemistry, a fatty acid is a carboxylic acid with a long unbranched aliphatic tail , which is either saturated or unsaturated. Most naturally occurring fatty acids have a chain of an even number of carbon atoms, from 4 to 28. Fatty acids are usually derived from...
s and various compounds such as chroman-4-one, Anofinic acid, 3-hydroxyacetylindole, ergosterol
Ergosterol
Ergosterol is a sterol found in fungi, and named for ergot, a common name for the members of the fungal genus Claviceps from which ergosterol was first isolated. Ergosterol does not occur in plant or animal cells...
, and cyclic dipeptide
Dipeptide
A dipeptide is a molecule consisting of two amino acids joined by a single peptide bond.Dipeptides are produced from polypeptides by the action of the hydrolase enzyme dipeptidyl peptidase. Dietary proteins are digested to dipeptides and amino acids, and the dipeptides are absorbed more rapidly...
s. http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=4177402
Taxonomy
This was known to Linnaeus who officially described it in Volume Two of his Species PlantarumSpecies Plantarum
Species Plantarum was first published in 1753, as a two-volume work by Carl Linnaeus. Its prime importance is perhaps that it is the primary starting point of plant nomenclature as it exists today. This means that the first names to be considered validly published in botany are those that appear...
in 1753, giving it the name Agaricus deliciosus, the specific epithet deriving from Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
deliciosus meaning "tasty". The Swedish taxonomist allegedly gave the species its epithet after smelling it and presuming it tasted as good as a Mediterranean milk cap highly regarded for its flavor. Dutch mycologist Christian Hendrik Persoon
Christian Hendrik Persoon
Christiaan Hendrik Persoon was a mycologist who made additions to Linnaeus' mushroom taxonomy.-Early life:...
added the varietal epithet lactifluus in 1801, before English mycologist Samuel Frederick Gray
Samuel Frederick Gray
Samuel Frederick Gray was a British botanist, mycologist, and pharmacologist. He was the father of the zoologists John Edward Gray and George Robert Gray.-Background:...
placed it in its current genus Lactarius
Lactarius
Lactarius is a genus of mushroom-producing fungi. The genus, collectively known commonly as milk-caps, are characterized by the fact that they exude a milky fluid if cut or damaged...
in 1821 in his The Natural Arrangement of British Plants.
It is commonly known as saffron milk-cap, red pine mushroom, or simply pine mushroom in English. Its Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
name is rovelló or rovellons while its Castilian name varies (niscalo, mizcalo...). An alternate North American name is orange latex milky. Both this and Lactarius deterrimus
Lactarius deterrimus
Lactarius deterrimus is a mushroom closely related to Lactarius deliciosus. The common name for this fungus is False saffron milk-cap, it's also known as Bitterer Milchling.-Taxonomy:...
are known as Çam melkisi or Çintar in Turkey.
In the Girona
Girona
Girona is a city in the northeast of Catalonia, Spain at the confluence of the rivers Ter, Onyar, Galligants and Güell, with an official population of 96,236 in January 2009. It is the capital of the province of the same name and of the comarca of the Gironès...
area, this type of mushroom is called a pinatell because it is collected near wild pine
Pine
Pines are trees in the genus Pinus ,in the family Pinaceae. They make up the monotypic subfamily Pinoideae. There are about 115 species of pine, although different authorities accept between 105 and 125 species.-Etymology:...
trees; they are typically harvested in October following the late August rain. Due to its scarcity it commands high prices.
Description
In North America, this mushroom is often confused with Lactarius rubrilacteus
Lactarius rubrilacteus
Lactarius rubrilacteus is a species of mushroom of the genus Lactarius. It is also known as the bleeding milkcap, as is at least one other member of the genus, Lactarius deliciosus.-Description:...
which stains blue, exudes a red latex, and is also edible.
Distribution and habitat
Lactarius deliciosus grows under the acidic soil of conifers and forms a mycorrhizal relationship with its host tree. It is native to the southern PyreneesPyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
where it grows under Mediterranean pines. Both this fungus and L. deterrimus are collected and sold in the İzmir Province
Izmir Province
İzmir Province is a province of Turkey in western Anatolia on the Aegean coast, whose capital is the city of İzmir. On the west it is surrounded by the Aegean sea, and it encloses the Gulf of İzmir. Its area is 11,973 km.2, population 3.948.848 . The population was 3,370,866 in 2000...
of southwestern Turkey, and the Antalya Province
Antalya Province
Antalya Province is located on the Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean sea.Antalya Province is the centre of Turkey's tourism industry, attracting 30% of foreign tourists visiting Turkey. The province of Antalya corresponds to the lands of...
of the south coast.
It can also be found in woodlands in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
as well as having been introduced to Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, where it grows in Pinus radiata plantations. A very popular place for collecting this mushroom, especially among the Polish community, is in the Oberon area in New South Wales, Australia, where they can grow to the size of a dinner plate. Many people of Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
and other eastern European ancestry in the states of Victoria and New South Wales, Australia travel to collect these mushrooms after autumn rainfall around Easter time. In Cyprus it is found in the pine forests where many people "hunt" them with vigour. It is considered as one of the local
delicacies.
Edibility
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
and Majorca and used in Spanish Cuisine. One recipe recommends they should be lightly washed, fried whole cap down in olive oil with a small amount of garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
and served drenched in raw olive oil
Olive oil
Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...
and parsley
Parsley
Parsley is a species of Petroselinum in the family Apiaceae, native to the central Mediterranean region , naturalized elsewhere in Europe, and widely cultivated as an herb, a spice and a vegetable.- Description :Garden parsley is a bright green hairless biennial herbaceous plant in temperate...
. The same recipe advised that butter
Butter
Butter is a dairy product made by churning fresh or fermented cream or milk. It is generally used as a spread and a condiment, as well as in cooking applications, such as baking, sauce making, and pan frying...
should never be used when cooking this mushroom.
Further north and east it is a feature of Provençal
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
cuisine.
They are also collected in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, where they are traditionally served fried in butter, with cream, or marinated.
They are also very known in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, where they are usually cooked on charcoal and marinated with olive oil and lemon, or fried with onions with red wine.
In some older guides, the saffron milk cap is considered an excellent mushroom, having 'a crisp texture'. In fact, when naming the mushroom (deliciosus = delicious), the mycologist had mistaken the mushroom with Lactarius sanguifluus
Lactarius sanguifluus
Lactarius sanguifluus is an edible species of fungus in the Russulaceae family. It is distributed in Asia and Europe. When bruised or cut, the fruit bodies ooze a blood-red to purple latex which turns greenish upon exposure to air. The caps are carrot to reddish-brown with darker concentric zones,...
, which is an excellent, pleasantly crunchy mushroom. Today, most mycologists hold Lactarius sanguifluus in higher esteem than its pretender, Lactarius deliciosus.