Here we have some fun facts about mushrooms which you may have never heard of before.
- There are more than 10,000 types of mushrooms in the world. But we are only talking about those which mycologists (mushroom scientists) have documented over the years.
- Mycophobia is the term called for people who have an unexplained fear of these fungi.
- Unlike plants, fungi don’t need sunlight to make energy for them to grow.
- Chinese and other Asian tradition has been using fungi as medicinal ingredients for centuries.
- Mushrooms generally are made up of 90% water.
- It is also known as the “meat of the vegetable world”.
- The biggest producer (and consumer) of mushrooms in the world is China. They make more than 30 billion kg (almost 87% of global production).
- There are certain types of people who are called “mushroom hunters” or mycophagists. They collect safe fungi to eat from the wild.
- A number of fungiare bioluminescent. It simply means that they glow in the dark.
- Mushroom dyes were popular before synthetic dyes were invented. People in earlier societies made use of the vivid colors produced from these fungi.
- While there are poisonous mushrooms, some are also used for their antiviral and antibiotic benefits.