The Fruit of the Fungus

When we talk about mushrooms, we generally are drawn to the fleshy part that we eat. This is referred to as the “fruiting body”. This fruiting body is genetically more similar to us humans than it is to the plant life that it grows around.

Among other reasons for this, a big one is because of the cellular growth being comprised of “chitin”, which other members of the animal and insect world posses as a building block to their structure, but plant life lack.

This chitin is the big reason why you should always cook your mushrooms before enjoying them. Our bodies cannot break down chitin, which the fruiting body nutrients hide behind, so eating raw mushrooms lack the many beneficial elements that they are known for.