Russula rubra

(Lam.) Fr.

RussulaceaeMushroomsPotential hazards — see below

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(c) Federico Calledda, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Federico Calledda

iNaturalist · cc-by-nc
(c) Felipe Hidalgo, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

What to Eat

Edible parts: Mushroom, Fungus

The bitter taste disappears on cooking and it is said to then be edible, though consumption is not recommended. The mushroom used to be widely eaten in eastern European countries and Russia after parboiling (which removes the toxins), and then salting or pickling. In some regions of Hungary and Slovakia, the cap cuticle is removed and used as a spice for goulash.

Known Hazards

As its name implies, the sickener is inedible, though not as dangerous as sometimes described in older mushroom guides. The symptoms are mainly gastrointestinal in nature: nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, and colicky abdominal cramps. These symptoms typically begin half an hour to three hours after ingestion of the mushroom, and usually subside spontaneously, or shortly after the ingested material has been expelled from the intestinal tract. The active agents have not been identified but are thought to be sesquiterpenes, which have been isolated from the related genus Lactarius and from Russula sardonia. Sesquiterpenoids that have been identified from R. emetica include the previously known compounds lactarorufin A, furandiol, methoxyfuranalcohol, and an unnamed compound unique to this species.