Shitake Mushroom

When I was a child I could eat mushrooms as candy. As a nutrition-starved vegetarian I put them on my pizza. Then I found out where they came from. Regular farmed button mushrooms are nothing compared to the East-Asian Shitake Mushroom.

The shiitake (Lentinula edodes) is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries, as well as being dried and exported to many countries around the world. It is a feature of many Asian cuisines including Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Thai.