Svinushka mushroom is the collective name of mushrooms belonging to the boletus, the family of svinushka. About 8 species of pigs have been described. Basically, all representatives of pigs are classified as poisonous or conditionally poisonous mushrooms. On the territory of the former Soviet Union, two types of pigs are best known and more common: thin pig and thick (black).
The thin pig (thin-legged) is also known under other names: pig's ear, dunka, solokha, cowshed, fetyukha. The hat of a thin pig reaches 12 cm in diameter. It is convex in shape in the early stages of growth, then flattens, acquiring a depressed, slightly funnel-shaped shape. The edges of the cap are lowered, ribbed, wavy. The skin is dry and velvety, but with high humidity - shiny and sticky. The color of the cap varies from olive brown to ocher brown. The flesh darkens when pressed.
The plates descend on the stem, of medium size, slightly lighter than the cap. The leg of the pig is short, no more than 6 cm and up to 2 cm in diameter. It is cylindrical in shape, narrowed towards the base. The color is lighter than the cap. The flesh of young pigs is dense, as it matures it becomes loose. Especially in the absence of precipitation with wormholes.
The thin pig belongs to category 4 mushrooms, which have poisonous substances that cause severe poisoning, leading to death. The fact is that the pig contributes to the rapid development of autoimmune reactions aimed at the destruction of blood cells. When boiling the mushroom, toxic substances do not disintegrate. In addition, the pig is a fungus that can accumulate radioactive substances. Due to the fact that there is no antidote as such, this mushroom should not be eaten, much less given to children. On the territory of the Union, the sale and collection of pigs has been prohibited since 1981. Pig thick (black) refers to inedible mushrooms. It is not similar to a thin pig, the main difference is the leg, massive and velvety, much darker and larger. The hat of a fat pig reaches 10 (and even 30!) cm in diameter. The shape is convex, as it grows, it becomes more open, slightly concave, resembling a watering can. Feels dry and velvety. The color of the cap is closer to ocher shades, sometimes olive. The edges of the cap are wrapped and have an uneven contour.
The plates of the thick pig are descending, of medium size, with bridges, frequent. Yellowish-ocher in color. The leg of the thick pig reaches 7 cm in length, 3 cm in diameter. Color from blackish-brown to cigar-brown shades. Crooked and covered with dark villi, in young mushrooms it tapers to the base, in mature mushrooms it is almost even. The pulp is dense, darkening on the cut. The taste is sour-bitter. There is some similarity with mushrooms, but their difference is that milky juice is in mushrooms, and is absent in pigs.
Some mushroom pickers classify this type of pig as a conditionally edible mushroom, recognizing the amazing property of this fungus to exhibit antibiotic and antitumor effects. However, the final decision on the suitability of the fat pig as a valuable food component has not been made.
Svinushki (photo) thin and thick. The thin pig bears fruit from July to October in forests of various types, preferring moist, shady places. The fat pig begins to grow closer to August on stumps, trunks, singly or in groups.
The thin pig has many names “from the people” - dunyasha, pig's ear, filly, barn, pig, solokha. Around it, for quite a long time, disputes have not subsided - whether this mushroom is edible or dangerous to humans. Until the early 80s of the last century, the thin pig was considered absolutely safe to eat, it was a frequent guest on the tables in the form of pickles, as part of soups, sauces and side dishes. After 1981, as a result of lengthy research, doctors and nutritionists found that some substances contained in the mushroom can accumulate in the body and cause serious damage to it. In 1993, the mushroom was classified as poisonous and inedible. However, some mushroom pickers, even experienced and seasoned ones, continue to collect and cook thin pork, eat it and share recipes.
The mushroom is very common, and its “appearance” sometimes misleads even experienced mushroom pickers, as it looks like some types of edible mushrooms suitable for salting.
The thin pig is an inhabitant of deciduous and coniferous forests, often found in birch and oak thickets, in shrubs. It also grows along the outskirts of swamps and ravines, on the edges, in moss near the base of firs and pines, on the roots of fallen trees. The fungus loves moist soil and is more commonly found growing in groups. It is characterized by high fecundity during the entire harvest season, which lasts from July to October.
The difficulty in recognizing a thin pig is that the mushroom is very similar to its edible relatives, and to some other safe species.
A characteristic distinguishing feature of the pig is a fleshy thick hat, with a diameter of 10 to 20 cm. Its shape varies depending on the age of the fungus. In any case, it has curved edges, in young specimens the cap is slightly convex, with time it becomes flat and slightly depressed in the center, and in old mushrooms it is funnel-shaped. The edge is unevenly velvety to the touch. The color of the cap can be olive-brown or more brown, ocher - this also depends on how long the mushroom has been growing. If in dry weather the cap of the mushroom is dry and fleecy, then after the rain it becomes sticky and slippery.
The cap plates have a shape descending along the stem and a yellowish-brown color. They are thick, rare, contain spores - brown, smooth, ellipsoidal in shape.
The leg of the pig is thin and short - no more than 10 cm, about 1.5-2 cm thick, the colors are usually the same as the hat. Inside it is not hollow, more often it has a cylindrical shape, sometimes it becomes thinner from below.
The mushroom got its name precisely because it looks like a pig's ear: due to the fact that the leg is not located in the center of the cap, but is slightly shifted to the edge, it does not have the correct round shape.
Until 1993, the mushroom was considered conditionally edible, it was collected and fried, boiled, salted. After the 93rd, it was classified as poisonous, but many mushroom pickers, out of habit and their own carelessness, still continue to collect and prepare this toxic “bomb”. The mechanism of its action is somewhat similar to the effect of radiation exposure: negative consequences most often do not immediately appear, but have a cumulative effect, that is, poisoning with these mushrooms can be chronic. This is probably why people continue to use pig's ear, naively believing that if the alarming symptoms do not appear immediately, then everything is fine. This misconception is very dangerous for several reasons:
A thin pig causes a strong allergic reaction in the body. As a result of the use of the fungus, irreversible changes occur in the blood: antibodies to their own red blood cells begin to be produced. Erythrocytes are destroyed, anemia and kidney failure begin. In the future, the onset of a heart attack, stroke or thrombosis is possible.
Thin pigs have strong absorbing properties: they, like a sponge, absorb salts of heavy metals, radioactive isotopes of cesium and copper from the environment. Collected near roads, factories, nuclear power plants, these mushrooms become even more harmful and dangerous.
For chronic poisoning, it is enough to periodically consume small amounts of pig's ear, for example, in a salted form. In the period from 2-3 months to several years, the first health problems may appear.
The above does not mean that the fungus cannot cause acute poisoning immediately after eating. The risk group includes children, the elderly, as well as those who suffer from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract and kidneys. For them, eating a mushroom dish 30-40 minutes after eating can cause the following symptoms:
In the event that a large amount of toxin has entered the body, then edema of the tissues of the brain and lungs occurs, and as a result, death occurs.
Mushroom poisoning is considered one of the most dangerous. If any suspicious symptoms appear after eating thin pigs, you must immediately call an ambulance or take the victim to the nearest hospital as soon as possible. Before a person with poisoning falls into the hands of specialists, gastric lavage will be useful. It is necessary to drink warm boiled water, and then induce vomiting until the outgoing contents become clean, without food debris. You can use activated charcoal in large quantities. However, only doctors can provide full-fledged qualified assistance, therefore self-treatment is unacceptable, and the hospital should be contacted in any case, even if these first aid measures have alleviated the symptoms.
Chronic poisoning is dangerous because there is no antidote for them - you can only minimize the consequences with the help of plasmapheresis and hemodialysis procedures, and remove the allergic reaction through the use of antihistamines.
The pig is thin - a dangerous inhabitant of forests. Taking advantage of its resemblance to some other edible mushrooms, as well as the fact that some mushroom lovers rely on what “maybe it will carry”, it penetrates into the baskets of mushroom pickers, and then, ready-made, on dining tables.
The use of this mushroom is akin to Russian roulette - poisoning can occur at any time, because it is impossible to predict how many toxins and poisons will become fatal for the body.
Even if there are no problems immediately after eating, over time, the consequences of exposure to poisons on the body will make themselves felt by the deterioration of well-being and health problems. The accumulative properties of harmful substances in the pig's ear negatively affect the functioning of the kidneys, the state of the blood, and the cardiovascular system.
Therefore, doctors, nutritionists, and more experienced mushroom pickers advise choosing other, edible and safe mushrooms for picking and cooking.
The thin pig (Paxillus involutus) is often found in coniferous and deciduous forests. This is an agaric with a flat velvety, later concave with curved edges, and then a funnel-shaped hat, up to 20 cm in diameter; ochre-brown or olive-brown. The plates run down to the stem, near which they are often interconnected by bridges; in youth - dirty yellowish-brown, then become dark brown. When pressed, dark brown spots appear on them. The leg is short, thick, fibrous, slightly lighter than the cap. The pulp is fleshy, dirty-yellow or brownish-yellow in color with an earthy tinge, turns brown at the break.
Svinushka thin grows in any composition, but preferably light coniferous and deciduous forests, in large flocks, often and abundantly, in June - October. It used to be considered an edible mushroom of the 4th category, but now their collection is prohibited. Before use, they were definitely recommended to soak and boil, the water from this becomes red; and then fry, boil or salt. Cooked mushrooms turn black. I also cooked thin pigs in this way (it was a long time ago when the mushroom was still considered edible). Tried them several times. Although they are fleshy, the taste of these mushrooms, even after such processing, seemed to me rough, and even disgusting, because they retained some kind of iodine, "pharmacy" flavor and an unpleasant smell. And this is even if they were not cooked alone, but mixed with other, good mushrooms. No pleasure, neither fried nor salty. Very few are suitable for food. They can only be eaten out of great need. In addition, after eating, there was some heaviness in the stomach. Now their collection and use is prohibited. In recent decades, scientists have found that the thin pig, while not formally poisonous, is no less dangerous than if it were.
The fact is that it negatively affects the hematopoietic ability of the body, since it contains special protein antigens that have the insidious property of accumulating in the body and acting suddenly, when, after repeated use of pigs, their content in the body exceeds a certain threshold (each person has his own) . Then the antibodies begin to destroy red blood cells. This accumulation of antibodies can last from several hours to several years. Signs of their impact on the body - dizziness, colic, diarrhea, blood in the urine, impaired liver function. Treatment is to keep the kidneys working.
In addition, the thin pig easily accumulates harmful substances from automobile exhaust; It also contains some dangerous carcinogenic compounds. Of course, if one or two pigs get along with other mushrooms, then they (boiled) will go unnoticed without causing much trouble. But eating them regularly, especially in large quantities, which can happen because they grow in large flocks, is very dangerous. The industrial collection and sale of the fruiting bodies of the thin pig is now prohibited by the sanitary rules for harvesting mushrooms.
In addition to the thin pig, there is also the fat pig (Paxillus atrotomentosus). She, outwardly, is in many ways similar to thin, but larger and fleshier. Her hat is thick, up to 30 cm in diameter, often eccentric in shape, velvety-pubescent; young - convex, old - funnel-shaped with a wrapped edge; rusty brown.
The plates are narrow, frequent, running down the stem, near which they are often connected to each other; yellowish in young mushrooms, and brownish in old ones. The leg is thick, dense, hard, up to 5 cm long and 3 cm in diameter, with swelling and felt coating, black-brown, with a whitish coating. The pulp is dense, juicy, light, almost white, darkening when pressed. A fat pig grows on rotten stumps and next to them, from early July to late September. Mushroom of the 4th, the lowest category, is used fresh, boiled and fried. I also tried a fat pig, although it is edible, its flesh is rough and tasteless. Impression - no mushroom, absolutely nothing remarkable. And since it is quite rare, there is no need to talk a lot about it. One or two mushrooms will not suit anyone, especially of this quality.
Vladimir Starostin , Ph.D. Sciences
04.03.17
Photo from Yandex collection
Other publications Starostin V.A. see his personal page
Pig thin in the common people they are affectionately called dunka, dunyash, thin-legged pig, pig's ear, the official Latin name is Paxillus involutus.
The most controversial mushroom on the subject is edible or poisonous. In Soviet times, it was considered an edible mushroom (after preliminary boiling). In the modern world, after the latest research, it is equated with poisonous mushrooms. However, in Russia, poisoning with a thin pig (and even more so with a fatal outcome) has not been recorded. Does this mean that in Russia pigs are non-poisonous, unlike France, where the climate is different and warmer + deaths from eating pigs. Or maybe it's just our medicine, and doctors simply cannot diagnose death from pig poisoning? In any case, eating thin pigs is like Russian roulette. What jar of delicious salted pigs, prepared with love for the winter, will reach the limit of the content of muscarine poison in the body and ... Some people have been eating pigs for decades, and even for many generations, and nothing. And even in our time, very often in the markets you can meet this mushroom, the sellers of which position it as edible and tasty. I used to like to eat them too, especially in salty form (and especially to collect them at a young age). But under the influence of disappointing results on pigs made by modern scientific minds, I stopped collecting and eating.
The thin pig has a hat from 3 to 20 cm in diameter. At first, the cap is convex, then it becomes flatter. In the center of the cap is a funnel-shaped formation. The hat has a yellow-ocher, red-brown, yellowish-brown color.
The plates of the pig are yellowish-brown, darken when pressed.
Leg 2-3 cm in diameter, the color matches the hat, only lighter by several tones. The pulp of the fungus is soft and friable, gradually darkens on the cut.
It grows almost everywhere from deciduous forests to vegetable gardens and garbage dumps. The pronounced habitat of the thin pig was not found.
The thick edible pig is similar to the thin pig, which is less common and has a thicker leg (up to 10 cm).
1. Representation of the thin pig in modern books on mushrooms:
2. As they wrote about the thin pig in the books of the USSR:
Better than all the descriptions and photos about the thin pig is only a video and, of course, personal experience.
