Mataupu
In some mushrooms, the shape of the fruiting body is absolutely round. It looks like tennis balls are scattered on the grass. Bright representatives of round mushrooms are lead-gray fluff, summer truffle and many types of raincoats (field, giant, ordinary false raincoat). The fruit body of round mushrooms is most often white; at a young age, some of them are edible.
Mushroom porkhovka with a round gray cap
Lead-gray powder (Bovista plumbea).
Aiga: Puffballs (Lycoperdaceae).
vaitau: Iuni – Setema.
Tuputupu aʻe: taitoatasi ma vaega.
faamatalaga:
The fruiting body is spherical, white, often dirty.
A small hole with a ragged edge opens at the top, through which spores spread.
The flesh is white at first, then grayish, odorless.
When ripe, the cap of a round mushroom (fruiting body) becomes gray, matte, with a dense skin.
The mushroom is edible at a young age.
Ecology ma tufatufaga:
This mushroom with a round gray cap grows on poor sandy soil, in light forests, on roadsides, in glades and meadows.
Summer and autumn large mushrooms with round fruiting bodies
Field puffball (Vascellum pratense).
Aiga: Puffballs (Lycoperdaceae).
vaitau: autumn autumn.
Tuputupu aʻe: in small groups, rarely alone.
faamatalaga:
The fruiting body of this large fungus is round, usually with a flattened apex. A transverse septum separates the spore-bearing spherical part from the leg-shaped part. Young fruiting bodies are white, then gradually become light brown.
The pulp of the spore-bearing part is first dense, white, then becomes soft, olive.
The base is slightly narrowed.
The mushroom is edible when young, while the flesh is white. When fried, it tastes like meat.
Ecology ma tufatufaga:
Grows on soil and humus in fields, meadows and clearings.
Common raincoat (Scleroderma citrinum).
Aiga: Matāua sese (Sclerodermataceae).
vaitau: July – mid-September.
Tuputupu aʻe: taitoatasi ma vaega.
faamatalaga:
The shell is hard, warty, ocher tones, reddens in places of contact.
Fruit body tuberous or spherical-flattened
Sometimes there is a rhizome.
The flesh is light, very dense, whitish, sometimes with a spicy smell, quickly darkens to purple-black with age. The flesh of the lower part always remains white.
This autumn mushroom is inedible, and in large quantities can cause gastrointestinal upset.
Ecology ma tufatufaga:
It grows in light deciduous forests, in young plantings, in rare herbs, on bare sandy and clay soil, on roadsides, in clearings.
Giant puffball (Calvatia gigantea).
Aiga: Champignons (Agaricaceae).
vaitau: Me – Oketopa.
Tuputupu aʻe: taitoatasi ma vaega.
faamatalaga:
The fruit body is spherical, white at first, turns yellow and turns brown as it ripens. The shell of a ripe mushroom cracks and falls off.
As it ripens, the flesh turns yellow and gradually becomes olive brown.
The flesh of the young mushroom is white.
This summer large round porcini mushroom is edible at a young age, when its flesh is elastic, dense, and white. The best cooking method is to slice, bread and fry in oil.
Ecology ma tufatufaga:
It grows along the edges of deciduous and mixed forests, in fields, meadows, steppes, gardens and parks, pastures. Occurs rarely.
Summer truffle (Tuber aestivum).
Aiga: Truffles (Tuberaceae).
vaitau: summer – the beginning of autumn.
Tuputupu aʻe: fruiting bodies are underground, usually occur at shallow depths, old mushrooms sometimes appear above the surface
faamatalaga:
The fruiting body is tuberous or round.
The surface is brown-black to bluish-black, covered with black pyramidal warts.
The pulp is initially very dense, in older mushrooms it is more loose, the color changes from whitish to brown-yellow with age. The taste of the pulp is nutty, sweetish, a strong pleasant smell is compared with the smell of algae. Light streaks in the pulp form a marble pattern.
This edible tuberous or round mushroom is considered a delicacy, but less valued than other true truffles.
Ecology ma tufatufaga:
It grows in mixed and deciduous forests in calcareous soils, usually under the roots of oak, beech, hornbeam, birch. Very rare in coniferous forests. Yellowish flies swarm over the truffle growing areas at sunset. Distributed in Central Europe, in Our Country it is found on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus.
Mauaina: specially trained dogs are used to search for truffles.
manatu:
Red truffle (Tuber rufum) common in Europe and North America; found in Siberia.
Winter truffle (Tuber brumale) distributed in France and Switzerland.
Uila uliuli (Tuber melanosporum) – the most valuable of truffles. Most often found in France.
White truffle (Tuber magnatum) most common in northern Italy and neighboring regions of France.