Why is the chanterelle called the "Jewish mushroom" and is it true that insects do not eat it?

  • Apr 24, 2021
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Why is the chanterelle called the "Jewish mushroom" and is it true that insects do not eat it?

A scattering of small yellow mushrooms in the forest thicket is a favorite trophy for a large number of fans of silent hunting. Chanterelles are very popular among our compatriots, and therefore it is not surprising that a huge number of myths, rumors and even legends have formed around these particular mushrooms. Let's deal with the most popular of them.

Is the chanterelle really not interested in insects?

Chanterelles are the favorite prey of a quiet hunter. / Photo: Pinterest.
Chanterelles are the favorite prey of a quiet hunter. / Photo: Pinterest.

The chanterelle is a truly exceptional mushroom. Even the most experienced mushroom pickers could hardly find chanterelles infected with insect larvae or any other "parasites". In the vast majority of cases, this gift of the forest remains almost perfectly clean. And all because, unlike most other mushrooms, chanterelles are really almost not interested in insects. All thanks to the high content of a substance called quinomannose.

Chanterelles almost never worm. / Photo: Yandex. Collections.

Quinomannose is present in large quantities both in the flesh of chanterelles and in their spores. This feature makes the mushroom virtually unique in nature, since the mentioned substance with almost 100% probability envelops the eggs left by pests and gradually dissolves them. Thus, the percentage of chanterelles affected by a brood of insects and arthropods is astronomically small.

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Why is the chanterelle called the "Jewish mushroom"?

Chanterelle is one of the few kosher mushrooms. / Photo: forest.rf.

The answer to this question directly stems from the already described feature of chanterelles in the field of protection against parasites. Everyone knows that the Jewish tradition divides all food into kosher and non-kosher, legal and forbidden, clean and dirty. The vast majority of mushrooms are considered "dirty" in Judaism due to the fact that they contain living organisms - insects and their larvae.

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You can cook a lot of delicious things from them. / Photo: ctv.by.

However, since chanterelles are most often not affected by pests due to their miraculous properties, this makes them, from the point of view of Judaism, kosher food, allowed for consumption. As you might guess, it is for this reason that the common chanterelle earned the nickname "Jewish mushroom" back in the days of the Russian Empire.

Continuing the topic, you can read about mushrooms with holes: can they be used or is it better to throw them away right away.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/011020/56223/