The beefsteak mushroom is a fungus which grows on oak and horse chestnut trees in the form of a red fleshy mass resembling a beef steak shaped like a tongue and with a sticky surface. It can be sliced and fried like liver, or eaten raw with a salad, when it should be cut into thin strips, soaked in salted water, drained and then dressed with a vinaigrette. (If gathering mushrooms you must be absolutely certain what you have before you eat them as many are very poisonous.)
