''Hypsizygus tessulatus'', the beech mushroom, 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 East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

. It is cultivated locally in

temperate climates In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

in Europe, North America and Australia and sold fresh in super markets. In nature, these are gilled mushrooms that grow on wood. Most often the mushroom is found on

beech trees 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 ''Engl ...

, hence the common name. Cultivated versions are often small and thin in appearance and popular in many nations across the world. Two commercial variations, both originating from Japan, are known: * ''Buna-shimeji'' ( :ja:ブナシメジ),

wild type The wild type (WT) is the phenotype of the typical form of a species as it occurs in nature. Originally, the wild type was conceptualized as a product of the standard "normal" allele at a locus, in contrast to that produced by a non-standard, "m ...

brown coloration. Known as brown beech mushroom, beech mushroom, brown clamshell mushroom; * ''Bunapi-shimeji'' ( :ja:ブナピー) is a white UV-induced mutant of the former, known as white beech mushroom, white clamshell mushroom. The original strain is registered by Hokto Corporation. This fungus may be confused with ''

Hypsizygus ulmarius ''Hypsizygus ulmarius'', also known as the elm oyster mushroom, and less commonly as the elm leech, elm ''Pleurotus'', is an edible fungus. It has often been confused with oyster mushrooms in the '' Pleurotus'' genus but can be differentiated eas ...

'', which grows on elm. A radical alternative view based on ITS

DNA barcoding DNA barcoding is a method of species identification using a short section of DNA from a specific gene or genes. The premise of DNA barcoding is that by comparison with a reference library of such DNA sections (also called "sequences"), an indiv ...

is that all members of the genus are the same species.

Morphology

Cooking

Being tough when raw, the Shimeji should be cooked, having a bitter taste when raw which disappears completely upon cooking. The cooked mushroom has a firm, slightly crunchy texture and a nutty flavor. Preparation makes the mushroom easier to digest. It is often eaten with stir-fried foods including wild game and seafood. It is used in soups, stews and sauces. When prepared alone, Shimeji mushrooms can be sautéed as a whole, including the stem or stalk (only the very end cut off), using a higher temperature; or, they can be slow roasted on a low temperature with a small amount of butter or cooking oil. Shimeji is used in soups,

nabe ''Nabemono'' (鍋物, なべ物, ''nabe'' "cooking pot" + ''mono'' "thing"), or simply ''nabe'', is a variety of Japanese hot pot dishes, also known as one pot dishes and "things in a pot". Description Nabemono are stews and soups containin ...

and

takikomi gohan ''Takikomi gohan'' (炊き込みご飯, 炊き込み御飯) is a Japanese rice dish seasoned with dashi and soy sauce along with mushrooms, vegetables, meat, or fish. The ingredients of ''takikomi gohan'' are cooked with the rice. This dish is co ...

Gallery

File:Hypsizygus marmoreus 20101123 c.jpg, White, cultured File:Hypsizygus marmoreus 20101123 d.jpg, White, cultured File:Hypsizygus tessulatus 02.JPG, Brown, cultured File:Hypsizygus_tessellatus03.jpg, Brown, cultured File:Hypsizygus_tessellatus04.jpg, Brown, cultured File:Japanese_Hokto_Bunapie_2.JPG, White, cultured, ''Bunapi'' ( Hokto Ltd. develops)

References

External links

Honshimeji Mushroom
RecipeTips.com. Brown Beech (Buna shimeji), White Beech (Bunapi shimeji), and the Pioppino (Agrocybe aegerita) mushrooms.

Hokuto Corporation. {{Taxonbar, from1=Q10530825, from2=Q10530823 Lyophyllaceae Edible fungi Fungi described in 1791 Fungi in cultivation Taxa named by Jean Baptiste François Pierre Bulliard

Morphology

Cooking

Gallery

See also

References

External links