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Clearly Recognizing Chanterelles: 5 Characteristics

Chanterelles are not only delicious but also very healthy. In order to be able to identify chanterelles without a doubt when collecting them, you must not only rely on their striking yolk-yellow color. Here’s how you can easily avoid the treacherous chanterelle look-alikes!

Stalk

In addition to the hat of the same color, the chanterelle has a fleshy stalk that is traversed by fine ridges. These run vertically from the rim of the cap to the lower part of the stem, where they fuse with the flesh.

Tip: Slats differ from slats in that slats can be moved or detached from the mushroom by gently pressing. Lasts, on the other hand, are a bit firmer and keep their shape. Confusion with a similar fungus can be avoided by this finger test.

Cap

The cap is probably the most striking feature of the chanterelles: it is 6-7 cm wide and yolk to pale yellow. There are also so-called strips on the underside of the hat, which run down from there to the lower end of the stem. You can recognize a chanterelle by the fact that the edge of the cap becomes wavy with increasing size, with very small mushrooms it is still rolled down.

Tip: A small chanterelle with a hat size under 1 cm should not be collected yet. Only later does it begin to form spores and thus secure its offspring in the forest.

Odor

A real chanterelle smells very pleasant and reminds a little of apricots. Especially in damp forests, the small forest mushrooms exude a unique scent and are easy to recognize in this way.

Meat

The best way to identify a chanterelle is by its flesh. It is lighter in color than the outside, slightly brittle, and interspersed with small fibers. If you suspect a mix-up with a similar mushroom, first check the light color of the flesh. In the case of larger and older mushrooms, the flesh of the chanterelle should also be examined for rotten spots after cutting through.

Happen

You can find chanterelles between June and November in deciduous and coniferous forests whose soils are mossy and moist. Especially with moss cushions, the probability of finding a chanterelle is greater. If you are in a spot in the forest where there are particularly old trees and dead wood, you have come to the right place. You will definitely find some chanterelles here too.

Caution: Fake chanterelle

Characteristics – Real chanterelle – False chanterelle

  • Hat – wavy at the brim, slightly curled – at the brim
  • Handle – firmer slats – soft slats
  • Flesh – light yellow, firmer intense – orange-yellow, softer
  • Odor – Apricot fragrance, – no particular smell
  • Occurrence – of deciduous and coniferous forests – rather than coniferous forests

The chanterelle’s best-known twin is its “wrong” namesake. However, it prefers to grow in dry woodland and is much darker and more orange in color. Its flesh on the stick is also not as light-colored as that of the chanterelle and is odorless. You can also recognize false chanterelles by the orange cap that is always rolled up and the soft lamellae.

You can only find the false chanterelle from September to October. You will find it most often in coniferous forests, and less often in deciduous forests. The false chanterelle prefers acid soil and also feels comfortable on old wood residues.

Tip: If you are not sure which mushroom it is, leave it where it is – a mix-up can lead to stomach and digestive problems!

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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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