Many young people today, more distant and far from the tasks of the field, have no idea what the Digüeñes are and we wanted to put them in a showcase since they are a typical product of ours, from the central and southern zone of Chile, endemic to our forests and also, it is a product of which we can feel tremendously proud due to the nutritional qualities it possesses and the versatility it presents at the time of its preparation since delicious hot or fresh dishes can be prepared with this product.
Digüeñes are edible mushrooms, their original name is Cyttaria espinosae Lloyd and their flavor is somewhat sweet and mild, they have a somewhat sticky texture on the surface and are covered by a white membrane that, as the mushroom matures, loses, giving way to to the orange-salmon color that characterizes it when it is fully ripe.
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Collecting digüeñes is not such a difficult task for those who are familiar with this task. Can be found in the tree branches, since it is the place where it lives because it is not a soil fungus and it feeds mainly on oak, raulí and hualle, trees in which it grows abundantly. They tell Digüeñe that it is a parasitic fungus since it feeds on tree branches and, when they have a large population of digüeñes, the branches die.
To get the digüeñe you have to have a lot of skill since in most cases they are found in the tops of the trees that serve as hosts and can only be removed by hitting them directly with very long sticks, or they can be obtained by unhooking the branches if someone is dexterous enough to climb the tree and climb up to where they are.
The digüeñe is currently used to make different preparations, such as salads, with scrambled eggs, in tortillas, empanas, among others, since it has been widely valued in typical food restaurants since its flavor falls in love with even the most demanding palates. and brings precious memories to those who, in a traditional and family way, had it incorporated into their diets.
If you have not tried it, we recommend that you venture to try it since it will not disappoint you in terms of texture and flavor; but in addition, it has incredible nutritional properties that should be one more reason for us to learn to value such an ingredient of ours.
The first thing we have to do about it, before telling you about the wonders of these mushrooms, is to make a due warning:
eat these mushrooms no side effectsbut nevertheless you must be careful where the fungus is living since it rarely lives in a tree called coigüe, But if it’s there, you better not even touch it. It takes on a very unpleasant taste and It can be toxic to health.
If you see any side effect such as diarrhea, stomach pain, or an allergic reactionsuspend consumption and run to the doctor and you must explain that you ate coigüe digüeñes.
Properties and benefits:
Digüeñes are very low in calories, so they become a great ally when it comes to losing weight and, as they appear for such a short time during the year, you can add an exquisite variation to your diet. They are rich in fiber and vegetable proteins, so they are a very good contribution for vegans and vegetarians who need to diversify their protein intake.
Among the vitamins they possess, there are all of the B complex, vitamin E and within the minerals they possess are the iron, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous and potassium. perfect for support the diet of people with skin problems, sight problems or immunodeficiency problems.
are also abundant in folic acid so they have antioxidant qualities.
For those people who suffer from high cholesterolare also good allies since are high in so-called «healthy fats» and the grannies they highly recommended them to pregnant women as they said they «help the successful formation of the fetus».
On the other hand, its high content of vegetable proteins make them perfect for people who have anemic pictures.
Also they are very rich in calcium. This makes them recommended for people who have a deficiency of this mineral and who need reinforcements to avoid fractures. People who suffer from arthritis or osteoporosis need to eat digüeñes because they help strengthen bones.
Also they are good for heart health and to strengthen the nervous system.
The truth is that the digüeñes are recommended for anyone, however, They are also especially good for high-performance athletes who need to consume foods rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, but low in carbohydrates.
Both collectors and exporters of digüeñes are going to be clear about the following: the flavor of the fungus varies according to the tree on which they have grown and on which they fed.
The digüeñes are part of our heritage and we must protect them since they have not been studied enough and we do not know the benefits that are in them; however, recent studies have even indicated that they have anticancer properties that must be further analyzed. However, people harvest them indiscriminately.
As a recommendation, when you go to take digüeñes, take a wicker basket to store them, so, while they are in the basket, they continue to spread their waits so that they remain in the forest and come out again. The other thing is that in each colony it would be good to leave some so that they continue to reproduce and we continue to have this wonderful resource for a long time to come, since they are scarcer every day.