Shiitake

The shiitake (Template:IPAc-en;<ref>Template:Citation</ref> {{#invoke:IPA|main}} Chinese/black mushroom or Lentinula edodes) is a macrofungus native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed around the globe.

Taxonomy

The fungus was first described scientifically as Agaricus edodes by Miles Joseph Berkeley in 1877.<ref name="Berkeley 1877"/> It was placed in the genus Lentinula by David Pegler in 1976.<ref name="Pegler 1976"/> The fungus has acquired an extensive synonymy in its taxonomic history:<ref name="urlFungorum synonymy: Lentinula edodes"/>

• 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 Template:Nihongo is a compound word composed of Template:Nihongo, for the tree Castanopsis cuspidata that provides the dead logs on which it is typically cultivated, and Template:Nihongo.<ref name="Coates 2004"/> The specific epithet {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} is the Latin word for "edible".<ref name="Halpern 2007"/>

It is also commonly called "sawtooth oak mushroom", "black forest mushroom", "black mushroom", "golden oak mushroom", or "oakwood mushroom".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

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.<ref name="Coates 2004"/>

Cultivation

The earliest written record of shiitake cultivation is seen in the Records of Longquan County ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) compiled by He Zhan ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) in 1209 during the Song dynasty in China.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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 Template:Nihongo in 1796, the first book on shiitake cultivation in Japan.<ref name="Miles 2004"/> 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.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Before 1982, the Japan Islands' variety of these mushrooms could only be grown in traditional locations using ancient methods.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> A 1982 report on the budding and growth of the Japanese variety revealed opportunities for commercial cultivation in the United States.<ref name="Leatham 1982"/>

Shiitake are widely cultivated worldwide, contributing about 25% of the total yearly production of mushrooms.<ref name="Vane 2003b"/> Commercially, shiitake mushrooms are typically grown in conditions similar to their natural environment on either artificial substrate or hardwood logs, such as oak.<ref name="Leatham 1982"/><ref name="Vane 2003b"/><ref name="Vane 2003a"/>

Toxicity

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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.<ref name="Boels 2014" /> This effect – presumably caused by the polysaccharide, lentinan<ref name="Boels 2014" /> – is more common in East Asia,<ref name="Herault2010" /> but may be growing in occurrence in Europe as shiitake consumption increases.<ref name="Boels 2014" /> Thorough cooking may eliminate the allergenicity.<ref name="Welbaum 2015" />

Uses

Template:Nutritional valueFresh 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 {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) (literally "winter mushroom") in Chinese, or Template:Nihongo in Japanese.<ref name="Chang 2013" /> The most highly prized variety is called {{#invoke:Lang|lang}} ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}) (literally "flower mushroom") in Chinese, due to the flower-like pattern of cracks in the cap. Template:Nutritional value

Nutrition

In a Template:Convert reference serving, raw shiitake mushrooms provide Template:Convert 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.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

Gallery

• Shiitake mushroom in Vegetable store in Yuen Long.jpg

  Fresh shiitake mushroom in the vegetable market in Hong Kong

• Wild Shiitake-Mushroom Japan.JPG

  Shiitake growing wild in Hokkaido

• Pyogobokkeum.jpg

  Korean pyogo-bokkeum (stir-fried shiitake mushroom)

• Shiitake Meshi Ekiben.JPG

  Japanese ekiben Template:Nihongo

• Shiitake timelapse.webm

  Timelapse video of shiitake growth

• Lentinan.svg

  Lentinan, a beta-glucan isolated from the shiitake mushroom

• Shitake Mushroom.jpg

  Young shiitake mushrooms on a log

External links

• Template:Commons inline