Most people are sure that fly agarics are very poisonous and completely inedible, but few people know that the Amanit family has absolutely safe, and even useful, representatives. These exceptions include Caesar's mushroom (it’s royal, egg, royal, Caesar's fly agaric). Due to its excellent taste and high content of nutrients, it is widely used not only in cooking, but also in traditional medicine, dietetics, pharmaceutical industry and even cosmetology.

Mushroom description

The cap of Caesar's mushroom (lat. Amanita caesarea) has a regular rounded shape. In young specimens, it is hemispherical, but as it grows it becomes flat, grooves form on the edges of adult specimens. The size of the hat can range from 8 to 20 cm. The plates are frequent, widened in the middle, and fringed overgrown along the edge.

Did you know? In ancient Rome, this mushroom was one of the favorite delicacies among the nobility and it was called boleti. Since that time (about 2000 years ago) such a noble name “Caesar” originates.

The leg has a diameter of 2-3 cm, and its height often coincides with the diameter of the cap. It has a club shape, slightly widened at the base. A distinctive feature is a protective cover. There is a Volvo, 5-6 cm wide and a ring of the same color as the leg. The cover has a protective function.

In the initial stages of growth, it effectively protects the fruiting body from the influence of the external environment. Then it opens slightly and protects only the leg (1/2 or 2/3). But it happens that the veil even in adult fetal bodies reaches a cap in the form of large scales. The spores are wide, white (sometimes with a slight gray or yellow tint), frequent.

What does it look like

The hat of a young Caesar fly agaric has an orange or fiery red color, but as it grows older and in the process of withering, it turns yellow. The plates are orange-yellow. The pulp is juicy, aromatic, has a characteristic smell of hazelnut. It is dense, strong, white. The peripheral layer of the pulp is yellow-orange.

Leg is fleshy, yellow. This mushroom is very easy to confuse with red mushroom, especially when the rain flushes white flakes from the poisonous fetal body.

Did you know? The hats of the royal mushroom almost always have an orange or red color, but sometimes mushroom pickers are found in absolutely white specimens. Some experts attribute them to a separate variety, but most do not share this opinion.

Where is growing

Caesar mushroom is very common and grows well in many climatic zones. Most often, cesarean fly agaric is found in deciduous forests: at the base of birches, oaks and hazels. Prefers places with good lighting and acid decalcified soil composition. Royal fly agaric can be found in Central and Southern Europe, partly in North Africa, as well as in Crimea, Transcaucasia, Transcarpathia and Primorye. In Ukraine and Germany, it is listed in the Red Book.

The fly agaric has a close relative, almost a twin, known as the Far Eastern Caesar mushroom. Their external and taste characteristics are absolutely identical, the difference is only in the distribution area - based on the name, the second grows in deciduous forests of the Far East

Edible or not

Caesarean mushroom is an edible and safe fly agaric.. It is very tasty, fragrant and with moderate use, good for health. However, you need to be as careful as possible so as not to confuse it with poisonous brethren.

Important! Old and overripe fetal bodies have a very unpleasant smell of rotten eggs (in fact, it smells of hydrogen sulfide) and mushroom pickers do not collect them. Such mushrooms are completely safe for humans, but their taste and smell repel.

Varieties and doubles

Caesar mushroom has the greatest resemblance to the poisonous red fly agaric. A person who does not know their differences and is not very versed in the characteristics of each species can easily confuse them. Such ignorance can lead to serious consequences.

You can find out before you an edible or dangerous fly agaric by the following signs:

• there are white scales on the cap of the red fly agaric; on Caesar's head, it is smooth with a uniform surface;
• the legs and plates of the poisonous specimen are snow-white, those of the edible specimen are yellow;
• the caesarean fungus has a bag-like shape, at the red fly agaric - at the base of the leg ring-shaped remains are visible.

Important! There may not be white scales on the caps of young fly agarics. Therefore, you should look very carefully at other parts of the fetal body. If there is no confidence in the edibility of the fungus, it is better to bypass it.

It happens that inexperienced mushroom pickers confuse young Caesar fly agarics with a pale grebe due to the similarity of the "shell" on the leg.

The difference between these mushrooms:

• the most obvious difference is the color of the hat. At the royal fly agaric, it is red-orange, at the toadstool - white or green;
• in the “egg” stage, these two species have a different cut: the caesar hat has a yellow hat, and the grebe has a white hat.

Medical use

Due to the fact that the existence of the Caesar mushroom was known more than 2000 years ago, its useful and dangerous properties have been thoroughly studied. This species does not contain and does not accumulate dangerous or toxic substances in itself, due to which it is not able to harm human health and well-being..

However, the unique composition of vitamins and trace elements makes it a useful and even therapeutic food product. The raw product has a low calorie content, a minimum of fats and carbohydrates, but a balanced combination of valuable animal and vegetable proteins.

In addition, the following important elements were found in the composition:

• B vitamins;
• vitamins of group A;
• group D vitamins;
• vitamins of the PP group;
• vitamin C;
• Apple acid;
• fumaric acid;
• succinic acid;
• lemon acid;
• alpha ketoglutaric acid;
• potassium;
• sodium;
• manganese;
• iron;
• selenium.

The Caesar fly agaric, grown under artificial conditions, contains ergosterol, from which ergocalciferol (vitamin D2) is synthesized under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. It is scientifically proven that this species contains substances that can inhibit staphylococcus and hay bacillus.

In folk medicine, an extract from fly agaric is used as cancer treatment. In addition, many experts are confident that the use of egg mushroom reduces the risk of cancer, prostate problems in men and effectively treats atherosclerosis.

It is proved that people who often include Caesar mushroom in their diet become more stress-resistant, less at risk of cardiovascular disease, feel alert and workable. Royal fly agaric tincture is used for rheumatism, arthrosis, to reduce pain in the joints.

Mushroom danger

Caesar mushroom is absolutely safe, and even healthy. The main thing is to be careful and not to confuse it with poisonous brothers. However, there are categories of people who are better off refraining from using this product. This applies to people with gout and urolithiasis (it can be fraught with metabolic disorders and even convulsions) and with individual intolerance to this product (symptoms: vomiting, pressure drops, flatulence).

All lovers of the “silent hunt” consider the Caesar mushroom to be a wonderful prey: it is widespread, has healing properties and excellent taste. However, one must be extremely careful that his poisonous congener does not accidentally fall into the basket. Before heading into the forest for edible fly agarics, carefully study their description so that the extraction brings not only pleasure, but also benefit.