Beech Mushroom（蟹味菇）

Shimeji (ja:シメジ, 占地) is a group of edible mushrooms native to East Asia. Hon-shimeji (Lyophyllum shimeji) is a mycorrhizal fungus and difficult to cultivate. Other species are saprotrophs, and buna-shimeji is now widely cultivated. Shimeji is rich in umami tasting compounds such as guanylic acid, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid.

Buna-shimeji (ja:ブナシメジ lit. beech shimeji), Hypsizygus tessellatus, also known in English as the Brown Beech or Brown Clamshell Mushroom

Hypsizygus marmoreus is a synonym of Hypsizigus tessellatus. Cultivation of Buna-shimeji was first patented by Takara Shuzo Co.,Ltd. in 1972 as hon-shimeji and the production started in 1973 in Japan. Now, several breeds are widely cultivated and sold fresh in markets.

Bunapi-shimeji (ja:ブナピー), known in English as the White Beech or White Clamshell Mushroom

Bunapi was selected from UV-irradiated buna-shimeji ('hokuto #8' x 'hokuto #12') and the breed was registered as 'hokuto shiro #1' by Hokuto Corporation.

Shimeji should always be cooked: it is not a good mushroom to serve raw due to a somewhat bitter taste, but the bitterness disappears completely upon cooking. The cooked mushroom has a pleasant, firm, slightly crunchy texture and a slightly nutty flavor. Cooking also makes this mushroom easier to digest. In stir-fried foods, as well as with wild game or seafood it is a good mushroom. Also it can be used in soups, stews and in sauces. When cooked 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 and takikomi gohan.

The richly flavored Beech mushroom is regarded as one of the most "gourmet" of all the oyster-like mushrooms. Firm textured and possessing a mildly sweet, nutty taste, this mushroom can be incorporated into a broad range of recipes from soups and sauces to stir-fries. The creative cook or chef will find this superior mushroom to be highly versatile. If packaged in a cluster format, cut off and discard the base of the cluster. The mushrooms are grown & packaged under very hygeinic conditions, but if desired, just before using the mushrooms may be lightly rinsed or brushed, but do not soak in water. The mushroom may be either used whole or sliced. Uncooked, Beech Mushrooms have a strong, bitter flavor, but cooking transforms the flavor and renders its nutritional components more available for complete digestion and assimilation.

A recent unpublished report from the National Cancer Institute of Japan indicates that hon-shimeji mushrooms contains medicinally active ingredients with strong anti-tumor activity. Additional studies are currently being conducted.

Keep refrigerated. Beech mushrooms have a relatively long shelf-life of up to 30 days. Superior strain selection, carefully controlled growing environments, optimal harvest timing and packaging technology all contribute this remarkable shelf life.

Beech mushrooms are grown in re-usable, polypropylene bottles using techniques developed by Japanese cultivators. The mushroom likes temperatures around 60 degrees F. and relative humidities of 95%. It is a slow growing mushroom, taking over 100 days from planting to harvest. This relatively slow growth rate contributes to the Beech's superior texture and flavor.