I've always expressed an aversion to fruit on pizza. Wayne can't stand any type of olives and while I prefer veggies, Wayne prefers meat. So it was after years of concerted negotiations, that we settled on sausage, mushroom and onion as our regular toppings. Things can be tricky when dining with others however, as one wayward individual inevitably suggests pineapple. Sometimes I honestly don't know about people.
I understand what you are thinking, tomatoes are technically fruit, and pizza wouldn't be pizza without tomato sauce. I believe that one minor indiscretion is acceptable in the realm of pizza toppings; but to further unravel my stance, I recently discovered that mushrooms are actually the fruit of a fungus. My relationship with pizza just got complicated and to further add insult to injury, olives, bell peppers and eggplants are all botanically fruits.
What is a fruit? Merriam Webster Fruit VS. Vegetable offers the simple definition of fruit as being, "Anything that grows on a plant and is the means by which that plant gets its seeds out into the world is a fruit." You will find some argument about mushrooms on this subject as mushroom fungus reproduces not by seeds, but by spores. While this is true, the spores from mushroom fungus are contained in and then released from the mushroom. Seeds and spores serve the same reproductive purpose.
The fruit that we find above the surface is the smaller part of what is the organism that is growing below. That white fluffy far reaching stuff under the surface are roots called mycelium and that's the stuff that is responsible for a lot of environmental good in the hood. Unlike moss, fungus doesn't get its nutrients from photosynthesis as it has no chlorophyll. Mushroom fungus gets what it needs from what it is living in and on. There are three groups of mushroom fungi: Those that are parasitic and break down and kill their living host, mycorrhizal which takes nutrients from its host but in return helps it to grow healthier, and saprophytic which breaks down an already dead host.
I think it's important to realize that mushroom fungi are not just decomposers and recyclers of wood and leaves which returns minerals and nutrients back the earth, they are also environmental house keepers. They collect and store all kinds of icky stuff from the environment like heavy metals, bacteria, pesticides, and oil. This fungus also among other things, filters out water pollutants and controls algae. They are very thorough at their job, not stopping until all of the toxins within their reach are cleaned up and yet they don't release these pollutants back into the environment. I really could use a friend like mushroom fungus in my basement to get rid off all of my kids dorm room supplies! Consider this as well; because they are toxin collectors, you should really know where your yummy fruit pizza toppings grew up. A clean growing environment means clean food.
One more thing to know about mushrooms is that every mushroom is edible at least once. If you would like to learn more about mushrooms, like which ones are not poisonous and can be eaten a second time (and put on pizza), a good place to start would be the resources provided below. -Norma Manning
Mushrooms of the Northeast by David Demarest.
Are Mushrooms Vegetables? Grow Cycle
Meet the Mushrooms Mushroom Mountain
6 Ways Mushrooms Can Help Save the Planet CRCLR
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