> virtually all mushrooms are at least mildly poisonous in their raw form and must be cooked before they’re eaten
First I've heard that -- I eat raw white "supermarket" mushrooms (sometimes portabella and shittake also) in salads quite often.
First I've heard that -- I eat raw white "supermarket" mushrooms (sometimes portabella and shittake also) in salads quite often.
The "supermarket" white mushroom ( Agaricus bisporus ) is the same as: white mushroom, button mushroom, champignon mushroom, cremini/crimini mushroom,[4][5] chestnut mushroom, And the portobello/a.
Just because you can eat a few species raw doesn't contradict the statement the virtually all require cooking.
Source - 30 years of experience foraging and learning from grandmom.
Note that it's not present in US/Canada which do have the common (and commonly considered poisonous) fly agaric (Amanita muscaria [2]), which can appear a lookalike to the untrained eye.
As advised in other replies, your local mycological society is likely to organize course on identification, foraging field trips, run id clinics, etc. so a good initial step for folks wanting to know more would be to look for local expertise.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_caesarea [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanita_muscaria