If you don’t already know, mushrooms are fleshy fruiting bodies of fungi, and they have a large variety of species, which is why we have so many types of mushrooms to choose from today. 

Most of the mushrooms species are edible however some of them are not and can he harmful for our health also and that's why it has always been some of the most intriguing food items for humans but still it is vastly loved my many. So much that it has a day in its honor too in the form of National Mushroom Day which is annually celebrated on 15th October in US. 

They are a staple in a vegetarian’s diet due to their nutritious value and hearty consistency plus they make a delicious side dish for a juicy piece of steak. 

The consumption of mushrooms probably occurred during prehistory, in the hunting and gathering period. Unlike plants, mushrooms could not be cultivated at first and were collected for a long period of time. Even today, relatively few species of mushrooms can be cultivated compared to the number of edible species. However despite being them consumed from so ancient in our history, the widespread cultivation mushrooms only started in the 1700s as a food product. 

Mushrooms were also thought to be special and supernatural in origin like about 4600 years ago, the Egyptians believed mushrooms to be plants of immortality; the Pharaohs decreed that only they could eat mushrooms. The Romans thought mushrooms were the food of the gods. Many people collect mushrooms for the purpose of consumption, but lots of myths and false concepts still survive today.

The Chinese and Japanese have utilised mushrooms for medicinal purposes for thousands of years. Lentinus edodes, Shiitake, was originally cultured in China about 800 years ago. Research in Japan claims that this mushroom has medicinal use, Shiitake was combined with AIDs drugs to boost immune response, combat chronic fatigue and induce antibody formation to Hepatitis B; it also stimulated antitumor activity. 

Different cultures cultivated different species cultivation of mushrooms in Western cultures was first recorded in Paris, France, around 1650. From France, the gardeners of England found Agaricus bisporus a very easy crop to grow which required little labour, investment and space. By 1865, the United States began mushroom cultivation. Truffles have been collected as far back as 1600 B.C. As recently as 1903, truffles were believed to be a product of oak trees. Until after World War II, the only means of obtaining truffles was collecting them in the wild.  

National Mushroom Day is a good reminder to eat your mushrooms because they are very delicious and nutritious as well. In fact, mushrooms have a high protein content and they contain B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, potassium, and zinc. So not just they offers you an pleasant and delicious tasty as well but they are actually very good for your healthy diet as well and that's why they are also very popular among vegetarians who consume it for getting the required nutrients as they avoid meat. 

Many species of mushrooms seemingly appear overnight, growing or expanding rapidly. This phenomenon is the source of several common expressions in the English language including "to mushroom" or "mushrooming" (expanding rapidly in size or scope) and "to pop up like a mushroom" (to appear unexpectedly and quickly). In reality, all species of mushrooms take several days to form primordial mushroom fruit bodies, though they do expand rapidly by the absorption of fluids. 

There are some other uses of mushrooms as well. Like mushrooms can be used for dyeing wool and other natural fibers. The chromophores of mushroom dyes are organic compounds and produce strong and vivid colors, and all colors of the spectrum can be achieved with mushroom dyes. Before the invention of synthetic dyes, mushrooms were the source of many textile dyes. 

Let's take a look at some of the most interesting and fascinating facts about our delicious mushrooms: 

1. When is National Mushroom Day celebrated? 

National Mushroom Day is annually celebrated on 15th October. 

2. Do mushrooms have protein? 

Yes, mushrooms have protein, but the amount depends on the particular variety.

3. Should mushrooms be refrigerated? 

Put mushrooms on the top shelf of the refrigerator to keep them the freshest.