Ok, whether you know a lot about mushrooms and fungi or care for them about as much as Taylor cares for Ye, there are a few things you should know about them. Your life would be more miserable than a Mennonite at a Tiesto concert without the world of fungi.
Not convinced?
Ok, here are nine things that absolutely would not exist without fungi.
Ever tried making bread without yeast (yes, its a fungus)? No, that boring flat crap you wrap salads in doesn’t count. We all know you’d rather eat sourdough bread all day and all night.
Several cheeses are made by introducing a type of penicillium fungi to milk, which is responsible for much of the texture and flavor. No fungi, no cheese. Well, except maybe dead American Kraft singles.
Let me say that again. Wine! This should’ve been number one. The fermentation process happens because of the overworked and under-appreciated yeast fungi. Honestly, we should all be worshiping at the altar of yeast for this one alone.
Soy sauce! Don’t even pretend you’d eat as much sushi as you do without this one. Soy sauce is made by mixing a type of fungi called Aspergillus Oryzae with soybeans and wheat.
Oh, my! Fungi and bacteria “rot” the coating of cacao beans to make them tasty and palatable. Otherwise they’d be waaaay too bitter to eat. Trust me on this one.
A type of fungi called Aspergillus Niger is used to produce citric acid which in turn is added to canned fruit. This retains the freshness of the fruit and their vitamin content, otherwise you’d be eating nutrition-less plant matter by the time you open the can three years later.
The same fungus used to preserve canned fruit, Aspergillus Niger, is also used to add and maintain flavor in canned sodas.
Remember what I said earlier about the overworked and under-appreciated yeast fungi? Well, here you go again. Kombucha is fermented tea and sugar and originated in China about two thousand years ago. What? You thought it was created in Williamsburg by a guy wearing a striped t-shirt and red-framed glasses?
This is the big one—specifically, Penicillin. It’s an antibacterial fungus discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928. Since then, countless lives have been saved as a result. What have you done lately?
You have to admit, this an astonishingly accomplished list for such a maligned kingdom of life on earth. It’s almost like fungi are the Minions and humans a Gru! Fungi touch and support almost every facet of life on earth from sustaining plant life to providing ingredients to produce cutting edge medicines. They are also incredibly nutritious and the ultimate source of food as medicine. To learn more about medicinal mushrooms, take a peek at my ingredients cabinet.
