Morchella comes from the German “morchel” and means spongy, in allusion to its appearance. They belong to the Ascomycetes, a group of fungi that do not have the typical mushroom shape. They appear in spring and are saprophytes, that is, they feed on decaying organic matter.
Caution: All species of the genus are edible, but are toxic mushrooms if consumed raw.
They contain various hemolytic toxic substances that require heat treatment before consumption. The safest method is to dehydrate or dry the mushrooms, and boil them at temperatures above 100ºC before cooking, eliminating the cooking water. Not to be confused with Gyromitra sp.
