Mushroom aficionados are mushrooming across the country and if you want to keep up with the Kumars, the Crastos and the Khans, it's time you brushed up on your fungoid facts. Priya Pathiyan gives you a taste of the magic.

Evocative of fairy rings to some and biology class to others, mushrooms, are basically the above-ground fruiting body (the spore-producing structure) of a fungus.

Not something that sounds like you could eat it with relish, but edible mushrooms, with their one-of-a-kind texture, flavour, and aroma, are fast becoming the dish du jour.

As more meat eaters start to look for a healthier vegetarian alternative and vegetarians get more adventurous, the once-mysterious mushroom is coming into its own today.

Containing vitamins B, C and D, they are known to lower both blood pressure and serum cholesterol, it's the health-conscious eater's delight.

Replacing old staples like paneer (hope you've tasted dingri-mattar) in some cases, and lending itself to innovation in Continental cooking too, the versatile mushroom seems to be gaining mass popularity across India.

Preparing mushrooms

Before you eat them, it's imperative that you first clean them. Using a soft brush to rid them of dirt is the best method, because they will soak up water if you rinse them, diluting their flavour.

Mushrooms add a powerful dimension to both vegetable and meat dishes. They also make a great flavouring agent, transforming water into mushroom stock, simply by soaking in it for a few minutes.

Common mushroom varieties

Black Trumpet: The colour can vary from purple-grey to jet black. This thin-walled, funnel-shaped mushroom has thin flesh and a delicate taste.

Drying the Black Trumpet intensifies its taste and aroma. It can be used to create savoury cream sauces for pasta dishes. Sauté with butter, parsley and chives, or add to soups or stews.

Button: Available fresh all year round, it has a bland taste compared to other mushrooms. Can mix with a few ounces of other more exotic mushrooms for a wonderful, affordable flavour.

Cepé: Is also known as Porcini, Polish or King Bolete. This ultra-perishable wild mushroom has a bulbous stem and a brown, rounded cap.

One of the finest and best loved fungi, it's the mushroom of choice for many western chefs. Delicately scented when fresh, the large caps infuse an earthy, nutty zest to dishes.

Said to be king of European mushrooms, it has a rich, musty flavour that enhances soups, stews, sauces, pastas and risottos.

Chanterelle: A traditional, old European favourite, this wild mushroom has a curved trumpet or vase shape, which can be bright orange or apricot gold and even impart the subtle aroma of apricots.

Serve with cream sauce over pasta or with scrambled eggs or simply sauté in butter with garlic and shallots. It is very sturdy and can withstand baking well. Use with poultry, pork, veal, white sauces, or eggs.

Cremini: Cremini, Button and Portobello are cousins. Cremini looks like a button mushroom but is just a bit larger with a dry, brown cap. If allowed to grow larger, it becomes a Portobello with a heartier flavour and meatier texture.

Enoki: Has a dainty shape, somewhat like an ear-bud! Use as a crunchy garnish for soup, salad or curried meats. It also goes well with seafood.

Hedgehog: Pumpkin-coloured with a slightly bitter taste, many chefs use this mushroom as a substitute for Chanterelle. Trim stems and try to leave caps whole for a pretty appearance.

The underside has tiny 'teeth', which break off into sautés and sauces, leaving tiny gold flecks. These spines are what give it its name.

The Hedgehog holds its texture well and is delicious sautéed in butter until brown. It's also particularly good with corn, pork and ham.

Maitake: This spectacular-looking mushroom derives its English name, 'Hen of the Woods', from its feathery appearance.

The Japanese name 'Maitake' literally means, 'dancing mushroom' in reference to the reaction of the mushroom hunters when they found this rare and unusual beauty in the forest.

Its large, clustered, earth-toned layers range from three to nine inches in diametre. The pungent, earthy fragrance and distinctive flavour of Hen of the Woods, combined with its versatility, make it a favourite to serve with meat, fowl, or by itself.

This mushroom may be deliciously prepared by wrapping a cluster of Maitake with a strip of pancetta (cured and spiced Italian bacon) or prosciutto (salt-cured, air-dried Italian ham) and baking for a couple of minutes or just until the meat starts to sizzle.

Matsutake: Another Japanese delicacy, it's also known as pine mushroom. It has a spicy, woodsy flavour and is quite expensive.

Very aromatic and good to use for soup stock infusions, broiled, or cooked with rice in a dish known as Matsutake Gohan. Otherwise, grill over charcoal or cook with rice.

Morel: A valuable mushroom that is particularly attractive in its fresh state, it is spongy looking, but hollow. The colour varies from tan to dark brown and the flavour is intense and earthy.

The burnished-steel colour on its rugged, chambered cap adds an interesting visual dimension to dishes. The Morel should not be eaten raw as it can harbour bugs and larvae.

Cut each one in half lengthwise to inspect. If there are any bugs, soak the mushrooms in salt water for 10 minutes just before cooking and dry thoroughly.

Can be tossed with pasta, be a delicious ingredient in stuffing and can be grilled beautifully. It's also excellent sautéed in butter, placed in cream sauces or dipped in egg and cornmeal and fried.

Oyster: This cultivated mushroom is mildly-flavoured and fan-shaped with a colour that varies from light tan to grey. Oyster mushrooms work well in stir-fry dishes or cheese-based soups or raw in salads.

Also good mixed with other types of mushrooms to add texture.

Shiitake: Also called Shitake, Chinese, Black Forest or Oak. The rich chocolate brown mushroom with a woody stem, meaty texture and a pleasant woody taste, is excellent in soups, stir-fries and sautés or even roasted. Shiitakes are available both dried and fresh.

There are several grades of dried shiitake mushrooms. The thicker and more cracked the top, the better. Shiitake is a star when it comes to versatility.

This dark brown mushroom, with caps ranging in size from two to four inches, is reportedly the most widely consumed mushroom in Asia, where it has been cultivated for centuries.

Its earthy fragrance and meaty texture enhances a wide variety of dishes since the results are beautiful whether they are sautéed, broiled, baked, grilled, stir fried, or sliced thin and used in salads.

Shiitake mushrooms have traditionally been used to add complexity to stews or soups, and the stems create deeply flavourful stocks.

Woodear: A wild, rubbery-textured, flat mushroom with a crunchy texture and woodsy aroma from China, which is sold dried year-round. It's great in soups, stir-fry dishes and with noodles.

Truffles: Perigord truffles, which defeated cultivation for hundreds of years, were mastered about seven years ago in France. At approximately $1,000-$1,500 per pound, truffles are by far the most expensive mushrooms in the world.