Mushrooms and Fungi in China

[Katie Meadow]

8 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Recently found a reliable source for these.

 

 

黑牛肝菌 (hēi niú gān jūn) - Black Boletes (Phlebopus portentosus, Tylopilus alboater or Boletus aereu. One of the few boletes that can be cultivated. Inedible when raw, but cooked have a rich unami taste and a nutty flavour.

Me likes.

 

Hail to the King! The real king, King Bolete

[Anna N]

8 hours ago, liuzhou said:

Recently found a reliable source for these.

It even looks meaty and delicious if that's possible. 

[liuzhou]

I mentioned dried maitake mushrooms back in 2019 but today I took delivery of some fresh from Yunnan province. 

 

 

Grifola frondosa is known by many names such as maitake (舞茸 or マイタケ, "dancing mushroom in Japanese, hen-of-the-woods, ram's head or sheep's head in English and 舞菇 (wǔ gū), 贝叶多孔菌 (bèi yè duō kǒng jūn), 云蕈 (yún xùn ), 栗子蘑 (lì zǐ mó), 栗蘑 (lì mó ), 千佛菌 (qiān fú jūn), 莲花菌 (lián huā jùn), 甜瓜板 (tián guā bǎn), 奇果菌 (qí guǒ jūn), or 叶奇果菌 (yè qí guǒ jūn) in Chinese.

 

It is native to the northern hemisphere from North America, across Europe and to Asia, including China and Japan, where it is particularly valued for dinner. Most in China seems to go mainly to TCM with all the usual unproven medical waffle that entails. Friends here are surprised to see it being eaten. Me likes.

 

 

Edited 11 hours ago by liuzhou (log)

[liuzhou]

 

Another multiple name mushroom, found wild in Yunnan is Cantharellus cibarius*, the Chanterelle or Girolle. Usually known as 鸡油菌 (jī yóu jūn, literally ‘chicken oil mushroom’) but sometimes 黄菇 (huáng gū, ‘yellow mushroom’) or 酒杯蘑菇 (jiǔ bēi mó gu, ‘wine glass mushroom’, presumably for its shape).

 

These are not particularly common though and relatively expensive, coming to me at ¥421.22 / $59 USD per 500g, although that does include air delivery from Yunnan to my door. Well, the plane doesn’t come to the door but close enough!

 

* Cantharellus cibarius is actually a species group. Precisely which member of the group these are, I haven’t yet been able to determine.