Sarah Brown
Mushrooms are the fleshy, spore-bearing fruiting bodies of fungi, typically produced above ground on soil or another food source. While the term toadstool generally refers to a poisonous mushroom, the standard for the name mushroom is the cultivated white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. Mushrooms are not plants but are closer relatives to animals. They are low in fat and sodium, high in fibre, and packed with vitamins and minerals. There are about 14,000 species of mushrooms, with some common varieties including button, cremini, portobello, shiitake, lion's mane, oyster, morel, maitake, chanterelle, beech, and straw mushrooms.
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What You'll Learn
Button mushrooms
The white button mushroom was discovered in 1925 at the Keystone Mushroom Farm in Coatesville, Pennsylvania, among a bed of brown mushrooms. The farm's owner, Louis Ferdinand Lambert, a trained mycologist, brought the white mushroom back to his laboratory. Similar to the reception of white bread, it was considered a more attractive food item and soon entered cultivation and distribution.
When selecting button mushrooms, look for those that are firm, with a fresh and smooth appearance. The surface should be dry but not dried out, and they should appear plump. They are typically sold with a closed veil under the mushroom cap, as opposed to an open veil that reveals the gills. To clean them, brush off any debris with your fingers or a damp paper towel, or briefly rinse them under running water and pat them dry.
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Shiitake mushrooms
In terms of culinary applications, shiitake mushrooms are commonly used in East and Southeast Asian cuisines. In Chinese cuisine, they are used in soups, braises, and stir-fried vegetable dishes such as Buddha's delight. In Japan, they are served in miso soup, used as the basis for a kind of vegetarian dashi, and incorporated into steamed and simmered dishes. Shiitake mushrooms are also used in Korean and Western cooking.
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Oyster mushrooms
In addition to their culinary uses, oyster mushrooms have a variety of other applications. They are being used to make mushroom leather and mycelium bricks and furniture. Oyster mushrooms are also useful for mycoremediation purposes, such as treating soil polluted with diesel oil and degrading plastic bags. They possess the incredible ability to absorb and clean up pollution and mitigate oil spills.
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Portobello mushrooms
To clean Portobello mushrooms, start by removing and discarding the stems. Then, gently rub off any dirt from the caps with a paper towel. Finally, use a small spoon to lightly scrape around the underside of the caps to remove the gills. The gills are edible but will turn your recipe a dark colour.
Conspiracy theories claim that the reason Portobello mushrooms are the main commercially grown species is that agaritine, a compound found in the mushrooms, is very similar in chemical structure to hydrazine, a rocket fuel. Agaritine is a carcinogen, but it is destroyed by cooking.
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Chanterelle mushrooms
Chanterelles are difficult to cultivate, so they are usually foraged for in the wild. They grow in deciduous and coniferous forests in Europe, from Scandinavia to the Mediterranean Basin, and in North America. In the American South, they are in season from July to October. They can also be found in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and the Midwest, where the season starts in mid-July and goes through August.
Chanterelles can be identified by their trumpet-like shape and the depression in the centre of their caps. They have false gills on the underside of their caps, which is known as the hymenium. They are mycorrhizal, growing in harmony directly on the ground from trees.
There are several poisonous look-alikes to be aware of when foraging for chanterelles. False chanterelles, or Hygrophoropsis aurantiaca, are mildly toxic and can cause gastrointestinal distress. They can be distinguished from true chanterelles by their gills, which fork, and their fruity aroma. Jack-o-lanterns, or Omphalotus illudens, are another dangerous look-alike, and they can be identified by their deep orange flesh and the fact that they grow in clusters from a central stalk.
Chanterelles can be preserved by drying or freezing, but using an oven for drying is not recommended as it can make the mushroom bitter.
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Frequently asked questions
The most common mushrooms found in the US are the white button, cremini, and portobello mushrooms. These are cultivated, not foraged, and are usually grown in California and Pennsylvania.
Button mushrooms are the earliest growing stage of the Agaricus bisporus species of mushroom, which continues developing into cremini and then portobello mushrooms. They have a soft texture and a mild flavour, making them adaptable to many recipes.
Cremini mushrooms are the middle growth stage of the Agaricus bisporus species, between the immature button mushroom stage and the fully mature portobello mushrooms. They are often used interchangeably with button mushrooms, but they have a firmer texture, are darker in colour, and have a more savoury, umami-forward flavour.
