Don’t be greedy for Yunnan mushrooms, these 6 kinds of mushrooms in supermarkets are also delicious and nutritious (with recipes included)

Since the beginning of human life, people have often gone to the wild to "collect mushrooms". Some of these mushrooms are delicious and nutritious and can be eaten as vegetables; but some are poisonous and can make people sick or even die if eaten. After many generations of trial and effort, people have discovered some safe and delicious wild mushrooms and planted them at home or on farms so that people can eat them at any time.

Today, we're talking about those "supermarket mushrooms" that can be grown in factories, are very valuable, and everyone likes to eat them.

mushroom

China is the first country in the world to start artificial cultivation of Lentinula edodes. In the 1980s, thanks to the "Mushroom stick bag cultivation technology" of Fujian mushroom farmer Peng Zhaowang, China became the country with the richest production of Lentinula edodes in the world, and Lentinula edodes has since become a mushroom that every household can afford.

Shiitake mushrooms growing on fallen trees | Photo by the author

There are two types of mushrooms in supermarkets: dry and wet. Dried mushrooms need to be soaked before eating, while wet mushrooms refer to fresh mushrooms. Some people like to eat dry ones, while others like to eat wet ones. It all depends on personal taste.

Studies have shown that the aroma of dried shiitake mushrooms is actually stronger than that of fresh ones. The light aroma of fresh shiitake mushrooms is mainly caused by some alcohol compounds, while the strong aroma of dried shiitake mushrooms mainly comes from sulfur compounds. When shiitake mushrooms lose water, some precursor substances in their bodies will undergo chemical reactions and gradually transform into sulfur-containing heterocyclic compounds with stronger aroma.

Top: Flower mushroom, middle: White-faced shiitake mushroom, bottom: Black-faced shiitake mushroom | Reference 10

When supermarkets sell shiitake mushrooms, they are generally divided into three categories according to quality: flower mushrooms, white-faced shiitake mushrooms and black-faced shiitake mushrooms.

The differences in appearance are mainly reflected in the surface of shiitake mushrooms, which are flowery surface, white smooth surface and black smooth surface, respectively. This is mainly caused by the differences in the environment when the mushrooms are grown.

Flower mushrooms: Flower mushrooms have a lower water content and a harder, chewier texture;

Black-faced shiitake mushrooms: Black-faced shiitake mushrooms have high water content, low hardness, and poor chewiness.

White-faced shiitake mushrooms: White-faced shiitake mushrooms are between flower mushrooms and black-faced shiitake mushrooms.

Therefore, in terms of quality, flower mushrooms> white-faced shiitake mushrooms> black-faced shiitake mushrooms. Secondly, when choosing shiitake mushrooms, it is better to choose those with short stems and thick meat.

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Shiitake mushrooms, as their name suggests, have a strong aroma. When stewing soup, adding one or two shiitake mushrooms will make the whole pot of soup more delicious. Hot pot restaurants often put a few slices of shiitake mushrooms in the soup base to enhance the flavor.

Black Fungus

my country is also the first country in the world to cultivate black fungus (Auricularia heimuer), with a history of artificial cultivation of more than 1,300 years. China's black fungus production is also the highest in the world. In 2021, the total production of black fungus reached more than 7 million tons, accounting for more than 90% of the world's total production of black fungus. It is truly a "small fungus, big industry."

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The main production areas of black fungus are located in the northeast of my country, such as Heilongjiang and Jilin. In the edible fungus industry, there is a saying that "mushrooms in the south are better than fungus in the north". The quality of shiitake mushrooms in the south is good, while the quality of fungus in the north is high. The Northeast has sufficient sunshine and a large temperature difference between day and night. The fungus produced here is thick, soft and elastic. With the development trend of "fungus in the north expanding to the south", large-scale cultivation of black fungus has been achieved in Fujian, Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Zhejiang and other places in my country, and the output has repeatedly set new records.

“First-grade black fungus” sold in supermarkets | Photo taken by the author

The black fungus in the supermarket is mainly dried and needs to be soaked before eating. After drying, the black fungus is small and curled together. It will recover its shape after absorbing water. It is worth noting that black fungus cannot be soaked for a long time. It should be soaked in room temperature water for about 2 hours, preferably not more than 4 hours. Soaking overnight or for several days is very dangerous. Long-term soaking will breed various harmful bacteria, and the toxins they produce may send you to the ICU. Soak as much as you eat, and soak it a little in advance when you eat it. Pay attention to the soaking method. Black fungus itself is still very safe.

The thick slices of black fungus taste crispy and can be eaten cold or stir-fried. Commonly paired ingredients include eggs, yam, lettuce, carrots, etc., which can all be used to make delicious home-cooked dishes.

Oyster Mushroom

In a broad sense, oyster mushrooms refer to the mushrooms of the genus Pleurotus ostreatus, whose caps always grow toward one side of the stem, hence the name "pleurotus ostreatus". In a narrow sense, oyster mushrooms, including those sold in supermarkets, generally refer to Pleurotus ostreatus.

Oyster mushrooms growing on mushroom bags | Photo by the author

Oyster mushroom is one of the most common wild mushrooms, and likes to grow on rotten wood. It has strong adaptability, fast growth and short cycle. Due to differences in species and cultivation environment, oyster mushrooms are white, gray, yellow-brown, dark brown, etc., so when you see oyster mushrooms of different colors in the supermarket, don't be surprised, they are all oyster mushrooms.

Isn’t the “oyster mushroom” in the dry pot very tempting? | Photo by the author

Roasted oyster mushrooms, fried oyster mushrooms, stir-fried oyster mushrooms, stewed oyster mushrooms... there is always one that can whet your appetite!

Flammulina velutipes

Japan achieved factory cultivation of Flammulina filiformis in the 1960s, and later bred the white Flammulina filiformis variety with a small cap and slender stem that is now widely consumed, which was subsequently introduced into China.

The current "Flammulina velutipes" may be more appropriately called "Silver velutipes". From the 1990s to the early 21st century, the yellow velutipes dominated the market. It tasted much better than the white velutipes, and people who had eaten it praised it highly. However, the yellow velutipes was far inferior to the white velutipes in variety and craftsmanship, and gradually withdrew from the market.

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In addition to the fact that chitin is difficult to digest, another more important reason may be eating habits. Enoki mushrooms are often used in hot pot or spicy hot pot, and they are not necessarily well cooked. In addition, when eating, we often swallow them after a few bites without fully chewing them.

In addition to hot pot and malatang, there are some other ways to eat enoki mushrooms, such as grilled enoki mushrooms, enoki mushroom bacon rolls, etc., all of which taste good.

King Oyster Mushroom

The scientific name of King Oyster Mushroom is Pleurotus eryngii. It was discovered in Paris, France in 1815 and moved to the genus Pleurotus in 1872, and has been used ever since. It mostly grows on the roots of wild eryngium and other plants of the genus Eryngii, hence the name Pleurotus eryngii. "King Oyster Mushroom" is the trade name of this mushroom, which refers to its "almond and abalone flavor", but whether it has these two flavors is a matter of opinion.

Grown big-bellied King Oyster Mushroom | Photo by the author

In the wild, King Oyster Mushroom mainly grows on the roots of Umbelliferae plants and is weakly parasitic. It can also be cultivated on organic waste and is saprophytic. This "saprophytic nature" is the key to artificial cultivation. It was not until the 1990s that Japan, South Korea and other places achieved breakthroughs in the factory production technology of King Oyster Mushroom, and the production scale was expanding. Under the leadership of this trend, the factory cultivation of King Oyster Mushroom in China has also developed rapidly, and finally ushered in a key breakthrough in technology in the early 21st century. The output of King Oyster Mushroom has also increased from several tons per year to more than 500 tons.

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The meat of the King Oyster Mushroom is thick and delicious whether it is sliced ​​and grilled, pan-fried in butter, stir-fried by hand, or braised in sauce.

Agaricus bisporus

In supermarkets and even in many restaurants, the "button mushrooms" are generally Agaricus bisporus.

It is very different from Agaricus bisporus. Agaricus genus is basically mycorrhizal fungi. Only Agaricus bisporus with saprophytic properties can be cultivated artificially, such as Agaricus chinensis (white Agaricus). There are famous Agaricus chinensis that cannot be cultivated, such as Matsutake (Matsutake). Putting the Agaricus bisporus in the "Agaricus" coat is because it looks very similar to Agaricus bisporus and it can also increase its value.

Growing Agaricus bisporus myself | Photo by the author

Agaricus bisporus is one of the most common and widely cultivated mushrooms in the world. It has abundant wild resources and also exists in my country. In the 1930s, Shanghai introduced the pure breed pile technology of Agaricus bisporus, and then promoted cultivation throughout the country. By the 1990s, my country had the first factory production line of Agaricus bisporus, and Agaricus bisporus was gradually served on the tables of Chinese people.

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The common method of cooking Agaricus bisporus is to stir-fry it directly, slice it and stir-fry it as a vegetable, or braise it.

References

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[10] Hou Zhaoyu. Analysis of temperature and humidity environment during the development period of Lentinus edodes fruiting body and construction of related models[D]. Shenyang Agricultural University, 2023. DOI: 10.27327/d.cnki.gshnu.2023.000409.

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Planning and production

Author: Rao Gu, PhD student at School of Life Sciences, Nanjing Normal University

Review丨Gu Lei, Ph.D. in Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Associate Professor, Capital Normal University

Ruan Guangfeng, Deputy Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center

Planning丨Fu Sijia

Editor: Fu Sijia

Proofread by Xu Lailinlin

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