Late summer to autumn
Wood hedgehog
Hydnum repandum
Certain identification required before any consumption
Quality · Good: Quality · Good
- Raw
- Raw consumption not documented
- Cooking
- Cooking recommended, minimum time not established
A fleshy mushroom with a spiny underside: short, decurrent spines must replace any interpretation based on gills.
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Guide contents
Guide contents
Season
From late summer through autumn, sometimes into early winter.
Habitat
On the ground in broadleaf, conifer or mixed woods, on cool humus, moss or litter, and not directly attached to wood.
Method
Check several visible features before retaining a species name.
Reviewed scientific notes are shown in French.
- Size
- Cap Ø 4–15 cm
- Smell
- Peu caractéristique.
- Taste
- Une amertume peut apparaître après une saveur initiale discrète.
Three features to check on the specimen.
Pale, irregular cap
The fleshy cap is creamy white to pale cream, sometimes softly apricot or salmon, with an often lobed and uneven margin.
Short, crowded spines
The underside bears numerous soft, whitish to pale salmon spines that run down the stem. It never has gills.
Solid, sturdy stem
The white to cream stem is solid, stout and sometimes slightly off-centre, with thick flesh that usually remains pale when cut.
Examine the specimen in this order.
- Turn the cap over and confirm genuine short spines running down the stem, with no gills between them.
- Cut a sound specimen to confirm thick, pale, firm and solid flesh.
- Confirm growth on the ground in a cool woodland setting rather than direct attachment to a trunk or stump.
Features incompatible with this species.
Reviewed scientific notes are shown in French.
- Hydnum boreorepandum: Les formes crème recouvrent repandum, y compris les aiguillons décurrents. La révision exige une séquence ITS pour une identification sans ambiguïté; couleur et milieu ne garantissent pas la séparation.
- Hydnum jussii: Chapeau charnu pâle et aiguillons un peu décurrents recouvrent repandum. Les spores plus arrondies orientent vers jussii; les illustrations ne remplacent pas l’examen microscopique ou moléculaire.
- Hydnum magnorufescens: Les formes crème charnues rappellent repandum. Les aiguillons non décurrents et les spores davantage arrondies orientent vers magnorufescens; couleurs et robustesse seules restent insuffisantes.
- Hydnum pallidum: Les chapeaux crème se recouvrent. Chez pallidum, les aiguillons descendent peu ou pas sur le pied et les spores sont beaucoup plus petites. La microscopie confirme les exemplaires intermédiaires.
- Hydnum rufescens: Les teintes et tailles se recouvrent, rufescens pouvant atteindre 11 cm. Examinez le port entier et les aiguillons: normalement non décurrents chez rufescens, généralement décurrents chez repandum. La microscopie peut être nécessaire.
- Hydnum slovenicum: Aiguillons non décurrents, spores plus petites et, dans la clé 2025, odeur de poisson frais ou de chanterelle avec coloration rapide abricot puis presque noire orientent vers slovenicum. Les photos seules restent limitées.
- Hydnum ibericum: Le port est plus petit et grêle que repandum, mais ocre pâle et aiguillons décurrents se recouvrent. Les spores orientent; ITS est nécessaire pour séparer sûrement ibericum de vesterholtii.
- Hydnum vesterholtii: Vesterholtii est plus grêle et peu charnu, mais les couleurs pâles se recouvrent. Examinez la décurrence des aiguillons et les spores; la seule taille ne suffit pas pour les formes intermédiaires.
From an inspected basket to the kitchen
From an inspected basket to the kitchenDrying, storage and two recipes for Wood hedgehog.
Wood hedgehogs retain a firm texture in a mustard sauce or quiche, provided young, readable specimens are selected.
Wood hedgehogs with mild mustard
A creamy fricassee in which mild mustard balances the mushroom's firm texture.
- Preparation
- 20 min
- Cooking
- 30 min
- Serves
- 4
View the complete recipe
Ingredients
- 600 gYoung, identified Wood hedgehogs
- 2Shallots, finely chopped
- 1 tbspOil
- 20 gButter
- 15 clDouble cream
- 1 tbspMild mustard
- 2 tbspChopped parsley
- 1 pinchSalt and pepper
Method
- PrepareBrush the specimens, remove the earthy base and damaged spines, then cut the larger ones into pieces.
- Release the waterCook with the oil for 12 minutes until the liquid has evaporated.
- SautéAdd the butter and shallots, then continue cooking for 8 minutes.
- Simmer the sauceAdd the cream and mustard, simmer for 10 minutes, season and finish with the parsley.
Have doubtful specimens checked and discard overmature ones. The mushrooms cook for 30 minutes here, but this duration cannot neutralise an identification error.
Wood hedgehog quiche
A generous quiche whose mushroom filling is fully cooked before it goes into the oven.
- Preparation
- 25 min
- Cooking
- 55 min
- Serves
- 6
View the complete recipe
Ingredients
- 450 gYoung, identified Wood hedgehogs
- 1Shortcrust pastry
- 3Eggs
- 20 clDouble cream
- 1Sweet onion, thinly sliced
- 20 gButter
- 60 gGrated Gruyère
- 1 pinchSalt, pepper and nutmeg
Method
- Cook the fillingClean and cut the mushrooms. Dry-fry them for 12 minutes, then cook for another 8 minutes with the butter and onion.
- Prepare the custardPreheat the oven to 190 °C and whisk the eggs with the cream and spices.
- Assemble the quicheLine the tin, spread out the cooked filling, pour in the custard and add the Gruyère.
- BakeBake for 35 minutes, until the centre is set and the top is golden.
The 20-minute pre-cooking step is mandatory before baking. Discard any bitter or degraded specimen, or one whose spines are no longer readable.
Documented limit
Drying Wood hedgehog: no retained protocol
This guide validates no species-specific drying time.This guide does not apply a generic drying time to Wood hedgehog. It recommends freezing after thorough cooking so that the method remains documented and appropriate for the species.
- Keep the batch whole, identifiable and separate until the inspection required by the guide.
- Do not automatically apply the temperature or duration intended for another species.
- Use the “Freezing after thorough cooking” method detailed in the Storage section instead.
- Read the general drying guide to understand equipment, checks and safety limits without inferring a protocol for this batch.
Recommended storage
Freezing after thorough cooking
Up to 3 months at -18 °C.Pan-cooked portions are easy to reuse in a sauce or quiche and avoid prolonging fresh storage.
- Clean and sort the young, identified specimens, then cut them into even pieces.
- Pan-cook for 20 minutes until fully cooked and no free water remains.
- Cool rapidly in a shallow dish and refrigerate within two hours.
- Pack into airtight portions, label with the species and date, then freeze.
- Reheat from frozen until the portion is uniformly hot.
