Matsutake mushrooms

Matsutake mushrooms

　　In Wulingyuan, besides tree ear mushrooms and cloud ear mushrooms, there are also delicious and nutritious types such as chicken mushrooms, sky mushrooms, ginger lady mushrooms, and pine mushrooms. Matsutake mushrooms are generally as large as a big bowl, and some can be as big as a small washbasin, earning them the title of "king of mushrooms." They grow on large pine trees, have thick flesh, are rich in nutrients, and are incredibly flavorful. In 1978, Liu Kailin, the former head of the Zhangjiajie Forest Farm, harvested three matsutake mushrooms as large as small washbasins, with flesh up to three inches thick. Three people couldn’t finish them in one meal, and their flavor was extraordinarily delicious.