The oak tongue (also: liver mushroom, liver tongue) belongs to row mushrooms. The kidney-shaped caps are 10-20 cm wide and 2-6 cm thick. When the fruiting bodies are young, they have light, pale colors – shades of orange and pink. The color changes with age and takes on shades of red, purple, carmine, and sometimes even brown and purple.
The oak tongue resembles liver. We will find it in Polish forests
Young caps secrete abundant bloody juice and closely resemble animal liver. The oak tongue also has a liver association in its Latin name – Fistulina hepatica.
The “liver fungus” occurs on almost all continents. He was seen in AustraliaNorth, South and Central America, Asia and Europe. We will also find it in Polish forests. The oak tongue grows on the wood of old oak trees (living and dead). It can be located both low at the roots and on the trunk. It is also found on chestnuts. The fungus may occur singly or in larger clusters. It grows from summer to autumn.
Is the oak tongue edible?
The oak tongue is edible after soaking, but has low culinary value due to its unpleasant, sour and astringent taste. However, it should be remembered that in Poland it has been partially protected since 2014. It has been included on the “Red List of Plants and Fungi of Poland” and has the status of an R species, which means that it is potentially endangered. reason limited geographical range and small habitat areas. The penalty for collecting protected mushrooms is up to PLN 5,000. zloty.