Shiitake mushrooms

Name Variations

 * Shitake mushroom
 * Black forest mushroom
 * Black mushroom
 * Black winter mushroom
 * Brown oak mushroom
 * Chinese black mushroom
 * Oriental black mushroom
 * Japanese black mushroom
 * Forest mushroom
 * Golden oak mushroom
 * Donko

About Shiitake mushroom
Wikipedia Article About Shiitake mushrooms on Wikipedia

An Asian mushroom with a pale brown to dark reddish brown cap that is generally two to four inches wide. The young mushrooms have an in rolled edge, which nearly flattens out with age. The stems are tough and fibrous and are generally detached and discarded. The cap has creamy white gills on its underside and its flesh is firm and white. The mushroom grows in clusters on hardwood, such as oak, chestnut and beech. The flesh is meaty textured with a rich, smoky flavor and goes well with all foods. The shiitake can be sautéed, baked or broiled and can be used in soups, casseroles, sauces, in stuffing for poultry or fish and eaten on their own. Japanese black mushrooms are available fresh and dried. Select those that are firm and plump and avoid any that are shriveled, dry, slimy or bruised. The mushrooms should be stored without cleaning, loosely wrapped in paper towels or a paper bag in the refrigerator. Do not store in plastic. When ready to use, clean by removing grit with a damp paper towel or gently scrub with a soft brush. If you must use water, keep to a minimum and then pat dry with a paper towel. Japanese black mushrooms are also known as Shiitake mushrooms.

The shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes; Japanese: 椎茸, shiitake; Chinese: 香菇; Hanyu Pinyin: xiānggū, literally "fragrant mushroom" or "delicious mushroom"; Korean: hangul: 표고; hanja: 瓢菰; pyogo), also known as Chinese black mushroom or black forest mushroom, is an edible mushroom typically cultivated on the shii tree. Two Chinese variant names for high grades of shiitake are dōnggū (冬菇, "winter mushroom") and huāgū (花菇, "flower mushroom," which has a flower-like cracking pattern on the mushroom's upper surface); both are produced at colder temperatures.

Lentinus edodes, the golden oak mushroom, is now being cultivated in this country. It is also available dried. Its flavor is exceptional.

Shiitake mushrooms are meaty-flavored Asian mushrooms that have flat, dark brown caps usually 2-3 inches (5-7.5 cm) in diameter. The tough, thin stems are usually trimmed off and discarded. Shiitakes are available fresh or dried. When selecting fresh shiitakes, look for firm, plump mushrooms that are not slimy or bruised. Store unwashed-lightly wrapped in paper towels or in a paper bag, never in plastic-in the refrigerator. Dried mushrooms can be stored indefinitely.