Beefsteak fungus

Fistulina hepatica · Fungus

40 pairings

Beefsteak fungus (Fistulina hepatica) is a soft, tongue-shaped bracket fungus that grows low on the trunks and stumps of oak and sweet chestnut, so uncannily like a slab of raw meat that it bleeds a red juice when cut and shows a marbled, flesh-pink interior. Sharply acidic and a little chewy, its liver-red flesh has long been sliced thin to eat raw in salads or braised slowly as a tart, meaty substitute for beef.

Picking a good onedrag

Thick, soft, moist, heavySlack, slimy, dark-patched

Stall freshBraise it slowly in stock and the sharp acid cooks down into a tart, beefy richness that drinks up the sauce. Raw, slice it thin and dress it hard.Everyday best

The skinWhole and supple, the sheen only a little duller

The undersideStill pale overall, reddish only where it has been handled

In the handFirm and still heavy, the flesh yielding under pressure

What to look for, from thick, soft, moist, heavy to slack, slimy, dark-patched.

Preparing