:''This article discusses blewit mushrooms. A number of subjects share similar spellings. See

Blewitt Blewitt is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Brett Blewitt (born 1976), Australian actor * Charles Blewitt (1877–1937), English cricketer * Chris Blewitt (born 1995), American football player * Darren Blewitt (b. 1985), Eng ...

and Bluet for disambiguation.'' Blewit refers to two closely related species of edible

agarics An agaric () is a type of fungus fruiting body characterized by the presence of a pileus (cap) that is clearly differentiated from the stipe (stalk), with lamellae (gills) on the underside of the pileus. In the UK, agarics are called "mushrooms ...

in the genus ''

Clitocybe ''Clitocybe'' is a genus of mushrooms characterized by white, off-white, buff, cream, pink, or light-yellow spores, gills running down the stem, and pale white to brown or lilac coloration. They are primarily saprotrophic, decomposing forest grou ...

'', the wood blewit (''

Clitocybe nuda ''Clitocybe nuda'', commonly known as the wood blewit and alternately described as ''Lepista nuda'', is an edible mushroom native to Europe and North America. Described by Pierre Bulliard in 1790, it was also known as ''Tricholoma nudum'' for ma ...

'') and the field blewit or blue-leg ('' C.saeva''). Both species are treated by some authorities as belonging to the genus ''

Lepista ''Lepista'' is a genus of mushroom-forming fungi. According to the ''Dictionary of the Fungi'' (10th edition, 2008), the widespread genus contains about 50 species. In 1969, Howard Bigelow and Alex H. Smith made the group a subgenus of ''Clitocy ...

''.

Classification

Both species have been treated by many authorities as belonging to the ''

'' segregate genus ''

''. Recent molecular research suggests the genus ''Lepista'' is nested within ''

''.Moncalvo JM. et al. (2002)
One hundred and seventeen clades of euagarics.
''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 23:357–400

Edibility

Both wood blewits and field blewits are generally regarded as edible, but they are known to cause

allergic Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derma ...

reactions in sensitive individuals. This is particularly likely if the mushroom is consumed raw, though allergic reactions are known even from cooked blewits. Wood blewits contain the sugar

trehalose Trehalose (from Turkish '' tıgala'' – a sugar derived from insect cocoons + -ose) is a sugar consisting of two molecules of glucose. It is also known as mycose or tremalose. Some bacteria, fungi, plants and invertebrate animals synthesize it ...

, which is edible for most people. Field blewits are often infested with fly larvae and do not store very well; they should therefore be used soon after picking. They are also very porous, so they are best picked on a dry day. In most mycologists' opinion, the blewits are considered excellent mushrooms, despite their coloration. Blewits can be eaten as a cream sauce or sautéed in

butter Butter is a dairy product made from the fat and protein components of churned cream. It is a semi-solid emulsion at room temperature, consisting of approximately 80% butterfat. It is used at room temperature as a spread, melted as a condiment ...

, but it is important not to eat them raw, which could lead to

indigestion Indigestion, also known as dyspepsia or upset stomach, is a condition of impaired digestion. Symptoms may include upper abdominal fullness, heartburn, nausea, belching, or upper abdominal pain. People may also experience feeling full earlier t ...

. They can also be cooked like

tripe Tripe is a type of edible lining from the stomachs of various farm animals. Most tripe is from cattle, pigs and sheep. Types of tripe Beef tripe Beef tripe is made from the muscle wall (the interior mucosal lining is removed) of a cow's st ...

or as

omelette In cuisine, an omelette (also spelled omelet) is a dish made from beaten eggs, fried with butter or oil in a frying pan (without stirring as in scrambled egg). It is quite common for the omelette to be folded around fillings such as chives, ve ...

filling, and wood blewits also make good

stew A stew is a combination of solid food ingredients that have been cooked in liquid and served in the resultant gravy. A stew needs to have raw ingredients added to the gravy. Ingredients in a stew can include any combination of vegetables and ...

ing mushrooms.

Footnotes

{{Reflist

External links

"Mushroom-Collecting.com - The Blewit"

All that Rain Promises and More - Blewit
Edible fungi Clitocybe Fungus common names