Almond

The chemistry of the almond smell

The almond aroma comes from the organic compound benzaldehyde (or its derivatives). In some cases the smell can also result from the release of micro-doses of hydrocyanic acid (cyanide), which has the characteristic smell of bitter almonds.

David Arora in «Mushrooms Demystified» singles out the almond smell as the most important marker for the genus Agaricus.

It is precisely the almond (or anise) aroma that lets you reliably identify the best, "royal" wild Agaricus species:

1. The prince (Agaricus augustus): A large, fleshy woodland mushroom with a scaly cap and a very strong, pronounced smell of marzipan or bitter almonds. It is considered one of the tastiest Agaricus species in the world.

2. Wood mushroom (Agaricus silvicola): An elegant white woodland mushroom often confused with the death cap. However, a strong almond smell at the stem base is one of its safety markers (together with gills that darken).

Roger Phillips also mentions the fairy ring champignon (Marasmius oreades) — an excellent edible mushroom that grows in "fairy rings" on lawns. When fresh it sometimes has a very subtle aroma of almond or clove.

How to use the almond smell when foraging

M.Ya. Zerova stresses that when you pick wild Agaricus, assessing the smell is mandatory:

- If an Agaricus smells of almond or anise, it is an excellent edible species.

- If it smells of carbolic, phenol, ink or a pharmacy (especially at the stem base), it is the poisonous yellow stainer (Agaricus xanthodermus).

- If the mushroom looks like an Agaricus (but with white gills!) and has a faint sweetish, raw smell with no almond, it may be the deadly death cap.