Hanging out with a funghi

There are many good reasons to introduce mushrooms into more of your meal plans.

We all need to eat – to sustain life and for the pure enjoyment of it. A delicious meal can reset your thinking as well as give you energy. And mushrooms have a lot to offer in these respects. While mushrooms are technically fungi rather than vegetables, they hold the same eating and nutrition benefits as plants.

A study by the University of Kent and the University of Reading found that uplifting your health by eating good-for-you mushrooms, fresh vegetables and fruit, and taking part in regular exercise can indeed make you a happier and healthier person.

Now we all know what foods we should eat for optimal health and mood, but we simply don’t do it. Mushrooms offer an amazing quick fix to this conundrum because they’re not only easily accessible and budget-friendly but amazingly versatile, being easy to add to other meals.

Feel like pizza? Choose sliced mushrooms as a topping. A braai with friends? Marinate and chargrill big brown mushrooms in place of some of the meat you’d ordinarily serve. Making a stir-fry, pasta dish or stew? Throw in fresh mushrooms. It’s no extra effort but always a positive choice.

Often when we want to feel better, we reach for the sweets and cakes, but nutrient-dense foods like mushrooms will actually do more for your long-term mindset.

D-lighted

Fresh mushrooms were lauded in a recent CNET article titled “8 Foods That’ll Make You Happy, According to Science”. The reason? Vitamin D. “Mushrooms are packed with vitamin D, which has been linked to antidepressant qualities and may boost your mood,” states the article. “If you’re vegan or vegetarian, you’re in luck, since mushrooms are the only non-animal-derived food source with a substantial amount of vitamin D that’s bioavailable (the body can easily absorb it). To get the most vitamin D benefit from mushrooms, expose them to sunlight for a few hours before cooking.”

A study published in 2022 in The National Library of Medicine concluded that “vitamin B6 actively helps in relieving symptoms that accompany depression and anxiety, making it an important supplement to be added to our daily lives.” And fresh mushrooms are a good source of B6.

Mushrooms deliver a significant amount of the antioxidant selenium, which has long been associated with brain health, with studies mentioning benefits that range from lowering inflammation in brain cells to dementia support. According to WebMD, “research shows selenium’s antioxidant properties fight cell damage that may worsen brain and nervous system diseases like Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.”

Happy food

A 2021 study at Penn State College of Medicine that looked at mushroom consumption and individuals’ mental health—using data from more than 24,000 US adults between 2005 and 2016, collected from that country’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey—reported a connection between individuals eating moderate-to-high levels of mushrooms and depression. “Higher mushroom intake gave participants lower odds of experiencing depression or depression symptoms, compared to those who ate a low amount of or no mushrooms,” noted the authors. The lead researcher, Djibril Ba, then went on to say, “Mushrooms are the highest dietary source of ergothioneine, an amino acid that works as an anti-inflammatory agent. Inflammation has been linked to depression, anxiety and other mood disorders, so this inflammation-fighting nutrient may help combat these common mental health woes.”

Mushroom-loaded nachos with homemade queso

Serves eight

Ingredients

For the queso (cheese sauce):

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 cups full cream milk
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 300g cheddar cheese, finely grated
• Salt, to taste

For the nachos:

• 1 onion, finely diced
• Olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 1 tbsp Mexican spice mix or taco seasoning
• 500g mixed mushrooms, sliced (baby button, portabellini and white button)
• 1 x 400g tin crushed Italian tomatoes
• 1 x 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
• 500g corn tortilla chips
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Optional nacho sides for serving:

Guacamole, sour cream, tomato and onion salsa, fresh coriander, and grilled corn.

Method: The queso

1. Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender but do not brown. Add cumin and cayenne pepper and cook until fragrant.
2. Stir in all but a quarter cup of the milk and bring to a bare simmer.
3. With the remaining milk, whisk in the cornstarch until smooth.
4. Add the cornstarch slurry to the pot and whisk it through. While simmering, continue to whisk and cook the cornstarch into the mixture for two minutes until thickened and the mixture coats the back of a spoon.
5. Turn off the heat and switch to a spatula.
6. Adding a handful at a time, sprinkle in the cheddar and stir until it is fully dissolved. Do not add too much at a time. If you need to increase the heat, switch the burner on to the lowest setting to help the melting along. Continue adding the cheese until it has all melted.
7. Cover the queso with a lid while preparing the rest of the nachos.

The nachos:

1. In a large sauté pan, cook the onion in a drizzle of olive oil until tender. Add the garlic and Mexican spice and cook until fragrant. Add the mixed mushrooms and cook until they are just tender and going golden brown. Pour in the tin of chopped tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Add in the drained beans and stir. Add in the shredded chicken and allow everything to cook together for a few minutes for the flavours to develop and the tomato base to thicken.
2. Arrange a few tortilla chips on a platter or tray.
3. Reheat queso gently.
4. Layer mushroom mixture, tortilla chips and queso so that with every bite you get a little bit of everything.
5. Keep leftover queso in the pot to stay warm and gooey for extra dipping.

Text & photography | The South African Mushroom Farmers’ Association

For more information, go to mushroominfo.co.za.