The shiitake, (;
Taxonomy
The fungus was first described scientifically as
Agaricus edodes by Miles Joseph Berkeley in 1877.
It was placed in the genus
Lentinula by
David Pegler in 1976.
The fungus has acquired an extensive synonymy in its taxonomic history:
-
Agaricus edodes Berk. (1878)
-
Armillaria edodes (Berk.) Sacc. (1887)
-
Mastoleucomychelloes edodes (Berk.) Otto Kuntze (1891)
-
Cortinellus edodes (Berk.) S.Ito & S.Imai (1938)
-
Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Singer (1941)
-
Collybia shiitake J.Schröt. (1886)
-
Lepiota shiitake (J.Schröt.) Nobuj. Tanaka (1889)
-
Cortinellus shiitake (J.Schröt.) Henn. (1899)
-
Tricholoma shiitake (J.Schröt.) Lloyd (1918)
-
Lentinus shiitake (J.Schröt.) Singer (1936)
-
Lentinus tonkinensis Pat. (1890)
-
Lentinus mellianus Lohwag (1918)
The mushroom's Japanese name shiitake is a compound word composed of Castanopsis, for the tree Castanopsis cuspidata that provides the dead logs on which it is typically cultivated, and "mushroom".
It is also common name "sawtooth oak mushroom", "black forest mushroom", "black mushroom", "golden oak mushroom", or "oakwood mushroom".
Distribution and habitat
Shiitake grow in groups on the decaying wood of
, particularly shii and other
Castanopsis,
chestnut,
oak,
maple,
beech,
sweetgum,
Populus,
hornbeam,
ironwood, and
mulberry. Its natural distribution includes warm and moist climates in
Southeast Asia.
Cultivation
The earliest written record of shiitake cultivation is seen in the
Records of Longquan County (龍泉縣志) compiled by He Zhan (何澹) in 1209 during the
Song dynasty in China.
The 185-word description of shiitake cultivation from that literature was later cross-referenced many times and eventually adapted in a book by a Japanese horticulturist 佐藤中陵 in 1796, the first book on shiitake cultivation in Japan.
The Japanese cultivated the mushroom by cutting
with axes and placing the logs by trees that were already growing shiitake or contained shiitake
.
Before 1982, the Japan Islands' variety of these mushrooms could only be grown in traditional locations using ancient methods.
A 1982 report on the budding and growth of the Japanese variety revealed opportunities for commercial cultivation in the United States.
Shiitake are widely cultivated worldwide, contributing about 25% of the total yearly production of mushrooms.
Toxicity
Rarely, consumption of raw or slightly cooked shiitake mushrooms may cause an allergic reaction called "shiitake dermatitis", including an
erythematous, micro-
papular, streaky
pruritus rash that occurs all over the body including face and scalp, appearing about 24 hours after consumption, possibly worsening by
sun exposure and disappearing after 3 to 21 days.
This effect – presumably caused by the
polysaccharide,
lentinan – is more common in East Asia,
but may be growing in occurrence in Europe as shiitake consumption increases.
Thorough cooking may eliminate the
allergenicity.
Uses
Fresh and dried shiitake have many uses in East and Southeast Asia. In
Chinese cuisine, they are used in many dishes, including 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 as an ingredient in many steamed and
simmered dishes.
Two prized varieties are produced in cooler temperatures. One high-grade variety is called dōnggū (冬菇]]) (literally "winter mushroom") in Chinese, or donko in Japanese.
Nutrition
In a reference serving, raw shiitake mushrooms provide of
food energy and are 90% water, 7%
carbohydrates, 2% protein and less than 1%
fat. Raw shiitake mushrooms contain moderate levels of some
dietary minerals.
Like all mushrooms, shiitakes produce vitamin D2 upon exposure of their internal ergosterol to ultraviolet B (UVB) rays from sunlight or broadband UVB fluorescent tubes.
Gallery
File:Shiitake mushroom in Vegetable store in Yuen Long.jpg|Fresh shiitake mushroom in the vegetable market in Hong Kong
File:Wild Shiitake-Mushroom Japan.JPG|Shiitake growing wild in Hokkaido
File:Pyogobokkeum.jpg|Korean pyogo-bokkeum (stir-fried shiitake mushroom)
File:Shiitake Meshi Ekiben.JPG|Japanese ekiben shiitake-meshi
File:Shiitake timelapse.webm|Timelapse video of shiitake growth
File:Lentinan.svg|Lentinan, a beta-glucan isolated from the shiitake mushroom
File:Shitake Mushroom.jpg|Young shiitake mushrooms on a log
External links
