Orange chanterelle - a rare but delicious edible mushroom

This undoubtedly rare edible mushroom can only be found in Europe. Although it is not protected, it should not be harvested for culinary purposes.

The fungus likes a moist, shaded area, most often it can be found on beech trees. It is not demanding when it comes to soil, they can be loamy or sandy. It appears at the beginning of summer, usually in July, and grows until October.

It looks like a chanterelle, but it has a different color, not yellow but bright orange, sometimes even red-orange.

The diameter of the cap does not exceed 4-5 cm. Juveniles are convex, with time flattened, folded, bent. It has a funnel shape and the edge is often rolled up. The surface of the hat is smooth.

The blades are characteristic of this species. They are not, like other lamellar mushrooms, even and sharp. They resemble irregular veins, tubules, often winding. The color of the gills is yellowish, fading with age.

The leg is quite short, reaching a maximum of about 5 cm. Closer to the cap, it becomes wider and gently merges into the cap, connecting with the overlapping lamellae. In mature mushrooms, it is empty inside.

The pale yellow or even white flesh is tender but fleshy. It has a slightly fruity and mushroom smell, while the taste is slightly burning and spicy.

Mushroom pickers have different opinions about its taste. Some say that it is inedible, tasteless, others believe that it is a rarity in the kitchen. Nevertheless, the mushroom is not poisonous.