Beefsteak fungus

A bracket that looks and bleeds like meat

Fistulina hepatica grows as a tongue-shaped bracket on the trunks of living or dead trees. The cap is 7 to 30 centimetres wide and 2 to 6 centimetres thick, with a rough surface. It is pinkish red when young and darkens to reddish brown as it ages. The underside is creamy white, and the spores and spore print are pink.

The flesh is what gives the fungus its names. Cut, it looks like meat and bleeds a dull red juice that can stain clothing and hands. Many writers describe its texture as reminiscent of raw meat. The name beefsteak fungus, and the older name Fistulina hepatica, which refers to the liver, both come from this appearance.

Taste, texture and how it is eaten

The flesh tastes sour. Field guides that cover it as food describe a fleshy, acidic mushroom that is best collected young. Some suggest serving it with creamy sauces or with milder mushrooms to balance the acidity. Other accounts are less enthusiastic and describe a strong sourness that limits its appeal.

The fungus does not keep well, so it is normally cooked soon after it is gathered. Foragers who write about it recommend cooking it thoroughly and for a long time, because older flesh is tougher. The catalogue records its food use in Europe. The accounts consulted here describe that use only in general terms, so no quantities, portions or cooking times are given on this page.

Preparation and the warnings about older specimens

The most specific statement on preparation comes from the reference description of the species: it is edible when cooked, although older specimens may need special preparation. That description adds that older specimens should be soaked overnight, because their juice can cause gastric upset. The same description notes that the flesh does not preserve well.

The sources consulted describe cooking as the safe approach and give no basis for eating the fungus raw. No safe quantity, shelf life or storage time is established by these sources, and none is given here. A reader who wants to eat it should check the preparation advice in a regional field guide and confirm the identification with an experienced local forager before eating any wild fungus.

Habitat and its effect on trees

Beefsteak fungus grows mainly on oak and sweet chestnut, on living or dead wood. In Britain and Europe it is usually recorded from July to October. Its fruiting bodies cause a brown rot in the trees they infect. The rot tends to stain oak heartwood reddish brown, which can make the timber more desirable to some buyers. The fungus is also recorded from North America, Australia and parts of Africa, where it grows from wounds on Eucalyptus trees in Australia.

Names, lookalikes and identification

The species was described as Fistulina hepatica (Schaeff.) With. in 1792. Earlier names include Boletus hepaticus Schaeff. (1774) and Fistulina buglossoides Bull. (1790), and both appear in older literature. The name in the catalogue is a research label. Its current accepted status has not been confirmed on this page.

Several bracket fungi are confused with it, including Pseudofistulina radicata, Amylocystis lapponica, Ischnoderma resinosum, Leptoporus mollis and Rhodofomes cajanderi. A red juice and a sour taste do not establish identity on their own. Identification should be confirmed by looking at the habitat, the flesh and the spore print, and checked with a local expert before any fungus is eaten.

Open questions

The catalogue names Europe as the place of food use, and the sources consulted do not add a documented food tradition by country. Historical records beyond Europe are not established here. The sources do not give a yield, a flavour profile for cooked dishes, or a dated food tradition, and this page does not supply them.