Helvella lacunosa
Description
Helvella lacunosa is a readily identified mushroom by its irregularly shaped grey cap, fluted stem, and fuzzy undersurfaces. It is usually found in Eastern North America and Europe, near deciduous and coniferous trees in summer and autumn.
This fungus is rather morbid in its appearance, with both the stem and the cap in shades of leaden grey. This species seems to favor rich soil and burnt ground, against which as a background it is not at all conspicuous and so is easily missed.
Edible but has poor quality. Also, it is well documented that some of these saddle fungi can cause stomach upsets unless very thoroughly cooked, at which point they tend to lack both texture and taste. There is also concern that Helvella species may contain carcinogens.
Common names: Elfin's Saddle, Slate Grey Saddle, Fluted Black Elfin Saddle, Grubet foldhat (Danish), Gruben-Lorchel (German), Mustamörsky (Finnish), Piestrzyca zatokowata (Polish), Svart hattmurkla (Swedish), Szürke papsapkagomba (Hungarian).
Mushroom Identification
Ecology
Probably mycorrhizal or saprotrophic; growing alone, scattered, or gregariously in woods under conifers - often in the disturbed ground (roadbanks, landscaping sites, and so on); in eastern North America usually found in wet, mossy areas in cold conifer bogs; summer and fall, or in winter and spring in coastal California; widely distributed in northern and montane North America, and along the West Coast.
Cap
1-10 cm across; irregularly lobed and convoluted, or occasionally loosely saddle-shaped; black to very dark brown; bald but wrinkled; the margin attached to the stem in several places; undersurface bald, gray to grayish brown, often ribbed, with ribs extending from the stem.
Flesh
Thin; brittle; chambered.
Stem
2-15 cm long; 1-3.5 cm thick; sometimes whitish when young, but soon grayish, gray, or nearly black; deeply and ornately ribbed and pocketed - the ribs rounded, or sometimes sharp and double-edged.
Medicinal Properties
The potential pharmacologic activity of H. lacunosa was investigated using the hippocratic screening procedure in rats. This procedure was designed to help screen the qualitative pharmacological or toxicological effects of crude plant extracts (Malone and Robichaud, 1962). In these tests, H. lacunosa had dual activity: depending on the collection site it was either a ‘metabolic poison’ (causing irreversible weight loss, reduction of spontaneous motor activity, anorexia, skin plasticity, pilomotor erection, diarrhea) or as a ‘central nervous system depressant’ (simultaneous reduction of both respiratory rate and depth, reduction of spontaneous motor activity, ataxia) (Malone, 1967).
Hemagglutinating activity
Hemagglutinating activity has been detected in Helvella lacunosa, due to anti-H type lectins. Heat treatment at 37°C and above resulted in increasing loss of hemagglutinating activity, with a total loss of activity above 56°C (Bose and Bhalla, 1990).
History
Elfin Saddle was first validly described and named scientifically in 1783 by Swedish naturalist Adam Afzelius, who called it Helvella lacunosa; this has remained its generally-accepted scientific name to this day.
Synonyms of Helvella lacunosa include Helvella scutula var. cinerea Bres., Helvella mitra L., Helvella sulcata Afzel., Helvella leucophaea Pers., Helvella subcostata Cooke, Helvella costata Berk., Helvella cinerea (Bres.) Rea, and Helvella lacunosa var. sulcata (Afzel.) S. Imai.
Helvella is an ancient term for an aromatic herb. The specific epithet lacunosa means 'having holes' and is a reference to elongated oval troughs on the surface of the fluted stems of these somber woodland fungi.
Why is the common name Elfin Saddle? Why not Fairy, Pixie, or Goblin Saddle, you may wonder. American mycologist Michael Kuo offers a plausible answer when he reminds us that the original name that Elias Magnus Fries provided for the genus was Elvella rather than Helvella - so perhaps elves really do ride on these swarthy saddle fungi in the dead of night.
Cooking Notes
The flavor of H. lacunosa is subtle, and the interesting rubbery stem will give your dishes an unusual texture. Sometimes a dark pigment is released in cooking.
Most mushroom field guides caution users of H. lacunosa to either dry or parboil this mushroom for 3 to 5 minutes before cooking because it may contain a small amount of a toxic substance. This material, monomethylhydrazine, escapes into the air when the mushroom is dried, and it is cooked out when parboiled in water. The water should be discarded.
These mushrooms may be cross-sectioned and cooked in cheese sauce, or deep-fried until crisp. They can be simply sautéed with onions, or cooked in an omelette with chopped parsley. They also go well with rice.
Dried H. lacunosa absorbs water easily, so no soaking is needed prior to cooking.
These mushrooms may be either dried or pickled. They should be parboiled before pickling. Discard the boiled water.
Recipe: Beef Stew with Black Saddle Mushrooms
Serves 4 as a main dish
Ingredients
1 pound fresh or 3 ounces dried black saddle mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1-1/2 pounds chuck steak, cut into 1/2-inch strips
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup mild vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced
1 or 2 green bell peppers, sliced
2 cups chicken broth
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons tomato paste
1-1/4 pounds Italian tomatoes, coarsely chopped
Salt
How to cook
If using fresh black saddle mushrooms, drop the mushrooms into boiling water to cover. Lower the heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes; the mushrooms should remain slightly al dente; drain and discard the water. There is no need to soak dried black saddle mushrooms.
Dredge the meat in the flour. Heat 3 tablespoons of the oil in a 3- to 4-quart Dutch oven and cook the meat until browned. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil and cook the onions and green peppers over medium heat for about 5 minutes.
Mix the broth, soy sauce, and tomato paste, and add to the pot along with the mushrooms, meat, and tomatoes.
Cover the pot and bake in a preheated 325º oven for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until the meat is tender.
Add salt as necessary.
Recipe: Day and Night Rice
Serves 4 as a side dish
Ingredients
6 to 8 fresh or 4 to 5 dried black saddle mushrooms
2 cups of water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup long-grain rice
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup slivered blanched almonds
How to cook
If using fresh black saddle mushrooms, drop the mushrooms into boiling water to cover. Lower the heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes; the mushrooms should remain slightly al dente; drain and discard the water. There is no need to soak dried black saddle mushrooms.
Bring the water and salt to a boil in a heavy medium-sized saucepan. Stir in the rice, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 20 minutes.
While the rice is steaming, slice the parboiled mushrooms or break the dried mushrooms into small pieces. In a small sauté pan or skillet, melt the butter and sauté the mushrooms for about 5 minutes.
Add the slivered almonds. Stir for another few minutes until the almonds are golden, then set aside.
When the rice is done, allow it to rest off the heat for at least 5 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and toss to mix.
Recipe: Black-Eyed Pasta
Serves 4 as a main course
Ingredients
1 to 1-1/2 pounds fresh, or 2 to 3 ounces dried black saddle mushrooms
4 tablespoons butter
1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
6 green onions, sliced
2 cups chopped ham
1/2 pound asparagus, sliced into small pieces
1/2 cup rich chicken broth
1 pound fettuccine or tagliarini
1/2 cup half and half
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
How to cook
If using fresh black saddle mushrooms, drop the mushrooms into boiling water to cover. Lower the heat and simmer for 3 to 5 minutes; the mushrooms should remain slightly al dente; drain and discard the water. There is no need to soak dried black saddle mushrooms.
Heat the butter and oil in a large saucepan and sauté the onions until translucent. Add the ham and sauté briefly. Then add the asparagus and broth. Simmer for about 5 minutes.
Cook the pasta in a large amount of boiling salted water until al dente; drain. Add the ham and asparagus mixture to the pasta along with the mushrooms and half and half. Cook over low heat until heated through.
Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
Photo sources:
Photo 1 - Author: Vavrin (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Photo 2 - Author: Mikko Heikkinen (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo 3 - Author: Kineticcrusher (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Photo 4 - Author: Jason Hollinger (CC BY-SA 2.0)
