Funghi

Giant Puffball

S tier

Giant puffball is the common name for huge white Calvatia fruitbodies—smooth, seamless orbs without a stem pouch of gills, yielding thick white steaks when young. Texture is marshmallow-firm to tofu-like; browning builds all the flavour. A single clean specimen is a forager’s jackpot. Cut open immediately: uniform white means cook; any purple-brown sponge means too late. Never eat puffballs with hidden mushroom outlines inside (button-stage Amanita risk for other lookalikes—true giant puffballs are homogeneous).