There are more than 500 different types of Russulas found around the world and it´s likely there are many more unknown to science. While you hear many things regarding the edibility of Russulas, the truth is, that almost all Russula species are considered conditionally edible, even if they´re labeled as toxic in your local field guide.

The only Russula that has been reported to be severely toxic is Russula subnigricans, which is only found in Asia (as of 2024). In North America and Europe there are other closely related ¨Black Staining Russulas¨ (Russula nigricans complex) which haven´t been proven to be toxic, although for all practicality, its best to avoid it. Now, before you go eating any random Russula, consider that there´s a good reason why ¨conditionally¨ is in bold. 

You see, many Russulas are both toxic and edible at the same time. How? Well, their edibility isn´t determined just by the mushroom, but by the manner in which it’s prepared for consumption. Many species considered toxic in Western literature, such as ¨The Sickener¨ (Russula emetica) or ¨The Stinking Russula¨ (Russula foetens) are consumed with no issues at all in some parts of the world. Through traditional knowledge, creativity, and experimentation, traditional cooks in these regions have figured out how to render species these otherwise toxic species, into edible morsels. In essence, they´ve learned to detoxify them. 

This is the case for the so-called ¨Spicy Russulas¨. These are Russulas that when you taste a small fragment of the raw mushroom (just a small nibble), have a spicy sensation reminiscent of wasabi. This flavor is thanks to compounds known as sesquiterpenoids which are mildly toxic and can cause gastrointestinal distress. This taste test is often done to help identify certain Russula species and is colloquially said to help identify their edibility. The truth is, sesquiterpenoids are heat sensitive, so once you cook the hell out of these mushrooms, the spicy sensation disappears and you can eat them. Oftentimes, it does leave a bitter flavor in the mushroom that isn´t too pleasant.

So, as long as you properly cook these mushrooms they are usually fine to eat. As is the case with many mushrooms, folks with sensitive stomachs may still suffer mild negative side effects, especially if they´re consumed in excessive quantities. Also its worth to mention, just because a species is edible, it doesn´t always mean its worth eating. This can be a fun challenge for creative chefs, but don´t expect it to be the meal of your life. My tip for cooking many Russulas is to give them a quick parboil before sautéing.

The Curious Case Of Russula Pickles

In Eastern Europe, many Russulas aren´t picked to be consumed freshly sauteed. No, they´re always made into pickles that can be preserved for long periods. Compared to other mushrooms, Russulas are actually very good candidates for pickling because their unique texture does pretty well after sitting in a brine for months. 

The process of pickling is usually conducted by boiling the mushrooms first and then letting them sit in a salt brine for a while. Now, this isn´t a recipe or a guide to pickling Russulas, so if that´s what you´re after, check another website  

Boiling helps break down a lot of the sesquiterpenoids that make Russulas spicy. If all of these aren´t all broken down, many are probably absorbed into the water along with any bitter flavors that remain. After the boiling occurs, letting them sit in the pickling brine is said to remove some of the bitter flavors further. It´s not clear if this is due to microbial activity, lactic acid production, or simply the dilution of this flavor into the brine.

In some cases, very spicy or bitter species are even left sitting in cold water for 1-2 days before the pickling process is even done. This is even done with the fowl-smelling Stinking Russula, which is most certainly considered toxic in most field guides I´ve read. 

The truth is, for most of my English-speaking readers, most Russulas don´t make an attractive edible mushroom. The texture isn´t great, the flavor is mild to completely absent, and there are just many more delicious mushrooms out there. Now, if you´re a freak like me, maybe you´ll make the best of a large flush of Russulas to make pickles in the Eastern style, but most of us aren´t accustomed to even eating mushroom pickles. 

The Golden Trio Of Edible Russulas

Personally, I only pick 3 distinct types of Russulas that I consider ¨The Golden Trio”. These are the Charcoal Bruner (Russula cyanoxantha), The Shrimp Russula (Russula xermpelina), and The Green Cracking Russula (Russula virescens). In reality, these common names are often used in reference to a complex of many closely related species. For example, Russula virescens is only from Europe while in North America you get Russula parvovirescnes. Russula xermpelina is described from Europe, and probably only occurs there, whereas what you get in the Americas might be several different species. I´m not going into the identification features of each of these species here, because you find this information in countless other sources. Occasionally, I eat Russula brevipes, but it’s not as good as these other species. 

Are Russulas Toxic To Dogs?

Not severely. If they eat a raw Russula and swallow it, it means it probably wasn´t one of the spicy ones. They may have a bit of a tummy ache simply from eating raw mushrooms, but it won´t cause serious harm. If they for some reason gobbled up spicy Russulas, they´ll also be okay, but will probably feel a bit sick for the next 2-3 hours.