Where do they grow: Black trumpet mushrooms grow in hardwood forests on the ground as they do not grow on trees, wood, or stums, unlike many other mushrooms. They are often found in mossy areas, especially along hillsides or creek edges or sandy areas along coasts or in areas where water runs or washes down.

14. Portobello Mushroom:

Portabella mushrooms, though native to Italy, are grown all over the world. They are one of the most cultivated mushrooms for their rich, meaty, and earthy flavor. Though they have been used in cooking since ancient times, they gained immense popularity in the 1980s when they were named ‘Portabella’ and marketed heavily as a healthy meat alternative. Commercially Portabellas are grown stacked in specially designed rooms under controlled humidity temperature and fresh air.

Other names: AgaricusBisporus

Characteristics: Portabellas have a large, round, flat cap connected to the white, thick stem. Distinctively known for fleshy, dark brown gills underneath, the cap is thick, firm, and spongy. The color of the cap ranges from tan to dark brown.

Taste: Portabella mushrooms have a memorable earthy, umami flavor and meaty texture.

How to use: Being the versatile type of mushrooms for cooking, Portabellas are best suited for grilling, sauteing, and broiling. Grilled ones go great with burgers or as pizza toppings. They taste fantastic when chopped and added to soups, stews, salads, or pasta and rice dishes. Predominantly the cap part of portabellas is eaten, and the thick woody stem is used to make stock.

Where do they grow: In the wild, Portabellas grow near manure piles, grass, and on leaf litters.

15. Magic Mushrooms:

Magic mushrooms are psychoactive mushrooms whose primary active compound is psilocybin. They are the most commonly used recreational psychotropic drugs by humankind, dating back to thousands of years. When shrooms are consumed, the psilocybin converts to psilocin in the body and influences the brain’s serotonin levels, causing hallucinations. Hallucination is a state of mind where you can see, feel, and hear things that may seem real but are not. When shrooms are consumed, the resulting hallucinations can be ‘positive’ or ‘negative,’ known as ‘good trip’ or ‘bad trip,’ and are greatly affected by the surrounding environment and the mental state of the person taking them.