Matsutake mushrooms

Matsutake mushrooms

　　Also known as: Matsutake, pine mushroom, big-foot mushroom

　　Morphology: The cap is spherical when young, becoming flattened and hemispherical after opening, with a diameter of 6–30 cm. It is dirty white in color, with yellowish-brown to chestnut-brown appressed, filamentous, scale-like structures. The flesh is relatively thick and white. The gills are curved, unequal in length, and densely white. Below the annulus, there are brown, filamentous, scale-like structures, solid inside, with a slightly swollen base. A single annulus is formed on the upper part of the stipe, white at the edge, and the same color as the stipe below. In Yunnan, the fruiting bodies grow singly or in clusters at altitudes of 1,600–3,200 meters, distributed in temperate and cold-temperate mixed forests of Yunnan pine, Huashan pine, oaks, and rhododendrons.

　　Main components: Fresh matsutake contains 17% crude protein, 5.8% crude fat, 8.6% crude fiber, 7.1% ash, as well as various vitamins and amino acids.

　　Benefits: Matsutake is regarded as a delicacy among edible mushrooms in Japan and Europe. It has effects such as strengthening the body, benefiting the stomach and intestines, relieving pain, regulating qi and resolving phlegm, and expelling parasites. It also has special effects in treating diabetes and fighting cancer.

　　Edible methods: Stir-frying, steaming, or cooking in meat broth.