Shiitake Mushrooms

The shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) obtains its name from the Japanese (shii - hardwood, take - mushroom), which describes how the fungi are grown on the water-softened bark of a particular hardwood tree. First cultivated by the Chinese, and later by the Japanese and Koreans, shiitake (pronounced 'sheetarky') are available fresh, dried or in kit form, where you can grow your own crop of fresh mushrooms.

Fresh shiitake mushrooms have a dark brown cap, light-brown firm, meaty flesh and a tough stalk that should be discarded before use. They may be used for a wide variety of Oriental and Western recipes, such as stir-fries, risottos, pasta, miso soup, pilaffs, sauces and stocks, tempura, and stuffings for poultry, fish or meat. Dried shiitake may be used in the same was as fresh, but must first be soaked in stock or water for at least 30 minutes.