The shiitake (; ''Chinese/black mushroom'' or ''Lentinula edodes'') is a macrofungus native to

East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...

, which is cultivated and consumed around the globe.

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.) 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 a compound word composed of , for the tree '' Castanopsis cuspidata'' that provides the dead logs on which it is typically cultivated, and . The

specific epithet In Taxonomy (biology), taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin gramm ...

' is the

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

word for "edible". It is also commonly called " 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 deciduous trees, particularly shii and other chinquapins, chestnut, oak, maple, beech, sweetgum, poplar, hornbeam, ironwood, and mulberry. Its natural distribution includes warm and moist climates in

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

Cultivation

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 trees with axes and placing the logs by trees that were already growing shiitake or contained shiitake spores. 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. Commercially, shiitake mushrooms are typically grown in conditions similar to their natural environment on either artificial substrate or hardwood logs, such as oak.

Toxicity

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 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 Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

, 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 ' () (literally "winter mushroom") in Chinese, or in Japanese. The most highly prized variety is called ' () (literally "flower mushroom") in Chinese, due to the flower-like pattern of cracks in the cap.

Nutrition

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

carbohydrates A carbohydrate () is a biomolecule composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms. The typical hydrogen-to-oxygen atomic ratio is 2:1, analogous to that of water, and is represented by the empirical formula (where ''m'' and ''n'' ma ...

, 2%

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

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 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

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