They don't necessarily have to be freshly picked to be harmful; even frozen or dried mushrooms, if not previously inspected, can pose a health risk.
In recent days, a father and daughter, aged 74 and 37 , ended up in the hospital after eating a risotto with porcini mushrooms, harvested and dried last season. They arrived at the "Santissima Annunziata" restaurant with severe gastrointestinal symptoms.
The intervention carried out by the Mycological Inspectorate, at the urgent request of the Emergency Department, allowed the identification of the toxic species and offered support for diagnostic and therapeutic decisions.
It happened in Northwest Sardinia and fortunately everything resolved itself with 48 hours of observation in hospital and a bad stomachache after consuming a toxic mushroom from the "Boletaceae" family, to which porcini mushrooms also belong.
"The invitation is always the same: the ASL and our mycologists are available to the population for a careful selection of the collected products, a distraction like this could expose consumers to high risks", explains Paolo Tauro, extraordinary commissioner of the ASL of Sassari.
"Mushrooms are an excellent product, but caution is needed: due to the poor digestibility of some of their constituents , they should always be consumed in small quantities and avoided over several consecutive meals. Furthermore, all species should be cooked beforehand; depending on the species, some require pre-boiling, others prolonged cooking, and others require the removal of the stem or cuticle. Furthermore, it is recommended not to exceed 200 grams of fresh mushrooms per person per week, and to avoid eating overly ripe specimens," explains Pietro Murgia, head of the Mycological Inspectorate of the Sassari Local Health Authority.
The Sassari Local Health Authority (ASL) urges consumers of wild mushrooms to always contact the company's mycologist before consuming them: an expert who can classify and accurately sort mushrooms free of charge.
