UT Know How
Culinary Fungi
Were you paying attention?
Mushroom Fact Vs Fiction
Officer Fun Facts
100

Seeing this creature before an exam is supposed to garentee an A on your upcoming exams!

The Albino Squirrel

100

This mushroom is a common topper ingredient in ramen. 

Enoki

100

Sam Shoemaker made this item out of mycelium, and it floats!

A kayak

100

You can tell if a mushroom is poisonous by how colorful it is

False - A common misconception!

100

This officer is a chemistry major

Tate!

200

This celebrity graduated from UT and co-taught a Script to Film class. 

Matthew McConaughey 

200

This ancient civilization’s royalty considered mushrooms a royal food and forbade commoners from eating them. 

The Egyptians.  

200

These were the questions we asked on the spore-breaker slide (Name at least one!)

  1. What is your favorite hobby?

  2. If you could visit any ecosystem in the world where would you go and why?

  3. Coffee, tea, or mushroom coffee?

200

Death Caps, one of the most toxic mushroom species, tends to have a mild and pleasant nutty flavor

True! Few have lived to tell the tale, but consolidated reports suggest that Death Ca

200

This officer is doing ongoing fungi research in the Dewitt Lab

Walker!

300

This is the name of the cannon that is fired off at the beginning of UT home games. 

Smokey the Cannon

300

This common culinary mushroom is considered carnivorous. 

The oyster mushroom!

300

This person was standing near a dune in their officer picture

Annabella

300

Some mushroom scan create their own breeze

True! To spread their spores, mushrooms like Shiitake and Oyster varieties, release water vapor that can generate localized air streams to carry off their own spores

300

This officer crochet a 3 foot tall mushroom this year

Allison!

400

The Harry Ransom Center houses the first one of these in it’s lobby. 

A photograph! (It’s actually quite difficult to make out, but depicts a view of rooftops from a window)

400

While historically scrounged up by pigs, truffles are now currently tracked and dug up by this animal. 

Dogs!

400

This was the location of the crafting social picture used on the slideshow

South Mall!

400

Eating raw mushrooms is better for you than cooked mushrooms

False - A rare few mushrooms are even mildly toxic when raw, but perfectly safe to eat once cooked!

400

This officer has read 53 books this year

Annabella!

500

This was the original mascot for UT (Hint: It’s NOT Bevo!) 

A Dog (Who was named Pig!)

500

This mushroom is the most used culinary species in the United States, making up 90% of purchased mushrooms. 

Button Mushrooms

500

This is the location where the annual Mycelium Matters Mushroom Conference is hosted

The Etter-Harnin Alumni Center

500

Fungi can survive in the vacuum of space

True! Antarctic Fungi have been tested and grown on the side of the ISS, even surviving large amounts of radiation in the process

500

This officer has never been on a successful mushroom foraging walk

Essie!