Hedgehog mushroom

Hydnum repandum · Fungus

40 pairings

The hedgehog mushroom (Hydnum repandum) is a wild, pale buff to apricot-orange woodland fungus named for the dense field of soft, downward-hanging spines that covers its underside in place of gills or pores. Foraged rather than farmed, it is prized for a sweet, nutty flavour and a firm, crunchy flesh, and it is one of the most beginner-friendly of all edible mushrooms because it has no dangerous look-alikes. The French know it as pied de mouton — "sheep's foot" — while English speakers also call it the sweet tooth.

Picking a good onedrag

Dry, firm, cap unmarkedSlimy, spines matted dark

Shop firmThe all-rounder: saute, roast, fold through cream, eggs or pasta.Everyday best

CapDry, a few brown bruise marks

The spinesCream-buff, dry, colour dulling

Flesh at the cutCuts cream, bruise marks where handled

SmellMild, clean, mushroomy

What to look for, from dry, firm, cap unmarked to slimy, spines matted dark.

Keeping ittap a band

A domestic fridge holds it about 5× longer than the counter.

Humidity

95%

Near 95%: dry air shrivels the cap and browns the spines. But no free water — droplets standing on the cap are where bacterial blotch starts.

Airflow

Paper bag, not sealed

Vented, never sealed: in a shut bag its own transpired water pools on the cap and the flesh sours. Paper breathes and blots the sweat off.

Browns beside ripening fruit

It makes almost none, under 0.1 µL/kg per hour, but ethylene browns the cap — keep it away from apples, pears and other ripening fruit.

Preparing