Dangerous Delicacy

False Morel Mushroom - stenmurkla? Gyromitra esculenta?
This tennis ball-sized fungi is either a morell or more probably a false morel mushroom, probably "stenmurkla" in Swedish.
When we first lived in Sweden, in the 80's, this was a much prized mushroom, known for its wonderful flavour. Only a small amount was needed in a stew.  Of course, it was very poisonous if not handled carefully but that wasn't considered a problem. Boil it in lots of water, in a well ventilated place, throw away the water, boil it again in more water, throw the water out, then use your mushroom to cook with.
Some people still eat it but the Swedish public health authorities now say it shouldn't be considered edible. The problem is that the toxin (Gyromitrin) is still present in small quantities, even after all that boiling and discarding. It's also a carcinogen! There's a huge variability in the amount of toxin found in mushrooms, and similarly a wide variation in people's susceptibility to the toxin.  The Finnish health authorities say it's definitely edible, if handled correctly. In a ten year period in Poland only two people actually died of eating this forest fruit...
This is one of several, growing along a ditch next to a forest track. They would have been a real find all those years ago, but I took my photograph and left them in peace. I like wild mushrooms but not ones where there is a ongoing debate about their edibility (or lack of)!
The extra shows the track where we found the fungi. They can be seen in the ditch on the right, as anonymous dark lumps.