The shiitake (alternate form shitake) (; ''Lentinula edodes'') is an

edible mushroom Edible mushrooms are the fleshy and edible fruit bodies of several species of macrofungi (fungi which bear fruiting structures that are large enough to be seen with the naked eye). They can appear either below ground (hypogeous) or above ground ...

native to East Asia, which is now cultivated and consumed around the globe. It is considered a

medicinal mushroom Medicinal fungi are fungi that contain metabolites or can be induced to produce metabolites through biotechnology to develop prescription drugs. Compounds successfully developed into drugs or under research include antibiotics, anti-cancer drugs, ...

in some forms of traditional medicine.

Taxonomy and naming

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 Taxonomy is the practice and science of categorization or classification. A taxonomy (or taxonomical classification) is a scheme of classification, especially a hierarchical classification, in which things are organized into groups or types. ...

history: *''Agaricus edodes'' Berk. (1878) *''Armillaria edodes'' (Berk.) Sacc. (1887) *''Mastoleucomychelloes edodes'' (Berk.) 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 is composed of , for the tree '' Castanopsis cuspidata'' that provides the dead logs on which it is typically cultivated, and . The

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

' is the Latin word for "edible". It is also commonly called "

sawtooth oak ''Quercus acutissima'', the sawtooth oak, is an Asian species of oak native to China, Tibet, Korea, Japan, Indochina (Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia) and the Himalayas (Nepal, Bhutan, northeastern India). It is widely planted in many lands ...

mushroom", "black forest mushroom", "black mushroom", "

golden oak ''Quercus alnifolia'', commonly known as the golden oak, is an evergreen oak species of Cyprus. Its common English name refers to the golden coloured lower surface of its leaves. ''Quercus alnifolia'' belongs to the endemic flora of the island a ...

mushroom", or "oakwood mushroom".

Habitat and distribution

Shiitake grow in groups on the decaying wood of deciduous trees, particularly shii and other chinquapins,

chestnut The chestnuts are the deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus ''Castanea'', in the beech family Fagaceae. They are native to temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The name also refers to the edible nuts they produce. The unrelat ...

, oak, maple,

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

sweetgum ''Liquidambar'', commonly called sweetgum (star gum in the UK), gum, redgum, satin-walnut, or American storax, is the only genus in the flowering plant family Altingiaceae and has 15 species. They were formerly often treated in Hamamelidaceae ...

, poplar, hornbeam, ironwood, and

mulberry ''Morus'', a genus of flowering plants in the family Moraceae, consists of diverse species of deciduous trees commonly known as mulberries, growing wild and under cultivation in many temperate world regions. Generally, the genus has 64 identif ...

. Its natural distribution includes warm and moist climates in Southeast Asia.

Cultivation history

The earliest written record of shiitake cultivation is seen in the ''Records of Longquan County'' () compiled by He Zhan () 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 in 1796, the first book on shiitake cultivation in Japan. The Japanese cultivated the mushroom by cutting

shii tree ''Castanopsis cuspidata'' (Japanese chinquapin; Japanese tsuburajii, 円椎) is a species of ''Castanopsis'' native to southern Japan and southern Korea. It is a medium-sized evergreen tree growing to 20–30 m tall, related to beech and oak. ...

s with axes and placing the logs by trees that were already growing shiitake or contained shiitake

spore In biology, a spore is a unit of sexual or asexual reproduction that may be adapted for dispersal and for survival, often for extended periods of time, in unfavourable conditions. Spores form part of the life cycles of many plants, algae, f ...

s. 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 now widely cultivated worldwide, contributing about 25% of the total yearly production of mushrooms. Commercially, shiitake mushrooms are typically grown in conditions similar to their natural environment on either artificial substrate or hardwood logs, such as oak.

Culinary

Nutrition

In a reference serving, raw shiitake mushrooms provide of food energy and are 90% water, 7%

carbohydrates In organic chemistry, a carbohydrate () is a biomolecule consisting of carbon (C), hydrogen (H) and oxygen (O) atoms, usually with a hydrogen–oxygen atom ratio of 2:1 (as in water) and thus with the empirical formula (where ''m'' may or may ...

, 2% protein and less than 1% fat. Raw shiitake mushrooms are rich sources (20% or more of the Daily Value, DV) of B vitamins and contain moderate levels of some dietary minerals. Like all mushrooms, shiitakes produce vitamin D2 upon exposure of their internal

ergosterol Ergosterol (ergosta-5,7,22-trien-3β-ol) is a sterol found in cell membranes of fungi and protozoa, serving many of the same functions that cholesterol serves in animal cells. Because many fungi and protozoa cannot survive without ergosterol, the ...

to ultraviolet B (UVB) rays from sunlight or broadband UVB fluorescent tubes. In 2015, a study with 52 adults suggested that regular shiitake consumption can improve immunity.

Uses

Fresh and dried shiitake have many uses in East Asian cuisine. 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. In Chinese cuisine, they are often sautéed in vegetarian dishes such as Buddha's delight. One type of high-grade shiitake is called in Japanese and ' in Chinese, literally "winter mushroom". Another high-grade mushroom is called ' () in Chinese, literally "flower mushroom", which has a flower-like cracking pattern on the mushroom's upper surface. Both of these are produced at lower temperatures.

Research

Dermatitis

Rarely, consumption of raw or slightly cooked shiitake mushrooms may cause an allergic reaction called "shiitake dermatitis", including an erythematous, micro- papular, streaky pruriginous rash that occurs all over the body including face and scalp, appearing about 24 hours after consumption, possibly worsening by

sun exposure The ultraviolet radiation in sunlight has both positive and negative health effects, as it is required for the synthesis of vitamin D3 and is a mutagen. A dietary supplement can supply vitamin D without this mutagenic effect, but supplementati ...

and disappearing after 3 to 21 days. This effect – presumably caused by the

polysaccharide Polysaccharides (), or polycarbohydrates, are the most abundant carbohydrates found in food. They are long chain polymeric carbohydrates composed of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages. This carbohydrate can react with wa ...

, 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.

Other uses

There is research investigating the use of shiitake mushrooms in producing organic fertilizer and

compost Compost is a mixture of ingredients used as plant fertilizer and to improve soil's physical, chemical and biological properties. It is commonly prepared by decomposing plant, food waste, recycling organic materials and manure. The resulting m ...

from hardwood.

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 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

References

Citations

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q320999 Articles containing video clips Chinese edible mushrooms Edible fungi Fungi in cultivation Fungi of Asia Japanese cuisine terms Marasmiaceae Medicinal fungi