The naming of mushrooms is plastic and must be, because of the way that they evolve and change so rapidly. Back in the day most cap and gill macrofungi were heaped together as "agaricus," when it came to scientific denominations. These particular mushrooms are now known as:
Phylum: basidiomycota
Class: agaricomycetes
Order: Russulales
Family: Russulaceae
A great many mycologists purport that Lactarius deliciosus are not one but many species similar but varying from place to place. The same is in fact said of gymnopolus junionus, for another example. The two aforementioned mushrooms being the most commonly gathered for culinary purposes in Uruguay, they are the two which I have read and chatted with the ancianos about, harvesting bits and bobs of information over the years.
The ones that I managed to photograph were indeed surrounded by many Russulas...who are a great example of fungal adaptability.
These Lactarius delisiosus are obligate ectomycorrhyzal fungi, meaning they (for now) only grow in symbiosis together with their partner pine trees. The prefix ecto- referring to "on the outside"...
-myco- from the Greek mykes, having to do with fungi...
and -rhyzal, as in rhizomes or roots.
The trees rely on the fungi and the fungi rely on the tree.
Interesting little trick...if you are caring for a tree that is suffering or weak, find a tree of that same type that is strong, healthy and well-established and bring a handful of soil from beneath the healthy tree to your tree-in-need. Chances are the strong acclimated tree is thriving because it has a healthy microbiota surrounding it's roots that are particular to it's needs and which the suffering tree is likely to be lacking in part or whole.
Through the changes, this mushroom has repeatedly had scientific names containing the moniker, "deliciosus" and for good reason. It's flavors are subtly sweet and nutty, and even reminiscent of white meat chicken, depending how you cook it. The texture is also spectacular making them very easy and versatile in cooking.
This species of fungi has the qualities of anticancer agents specifically targeting lung cancer and colon cancer in human tissue as well an also active against epithelial cancer. (Kosanić et al. (2016) The epithelium is a tissue of the outermost layers, let's say. It makes up an outer layer of the skin and also line the glands and hollow organs such as the lungs.
Fungi are also fantastic at cleaning up the areas in which they grow. Some fungi, who would otherwise be suitable for consumption, should be avoided due to their propensity to accumulate heavy metals, for example. For this reason, it is recommended to learn about this characteristics of the different species which you would like to harvest and eat, as well as to take care in the selection of harvest sites. Personally, I do not harvest mushrooms in towns and cities, near at all busy roads, etcetera. Mushrooms from more isolated wooded areas are generally safer.
As they are super popular for cooking in The Iberian Peninsula region and Spain, you can find many recipes which include "rovellon" or "nicalo," as they are commonly called there. They often remain hidden even when fruiting, under the bundles of pine needles. fruiting up in Autumn, they are most abundant after a good rain. However, you can see the effects of a great rain, washing out the bright red-orange pigments and the pretty cyan, teal, and truquoise accents. Of course, I also made fotos of some who are past mature because I found them quite beautiful. In those you actually can see a bit more bluing. It almost makes them appear moldy, but I assure you they were not.
Above is a portion of the Herculaneum frescoes of Naples, Italy, from the 1st century. This is the first "mushroom fresco" that we are aware of. It is believed that the mushrooms depicted in this painting are lactarius deliciosus. For this reason they are suspected to be one of the first species of mushrooms used culinarily.
Peace
I wrote the things and made the photographs all, BUT:
Herculean Fresco Image Source
This is a contribution to #FungiFriday hosted by 