Wuding Chicken Truffle Mushrooms

Wuding Chicken Truffle Mushrooms

　　Chicken truffle mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of the Termitomyces albuminosus mushroom, a species in the family Tricholomataceae. They are considered one of the finest edible fungi. As noted in the *Qian Book*: “Chicken truffle mushrooms sprout in shallow grass in the seventh lunar month of autumn. When they first emerge from the ground, they resemble a bamboo hat, then gradually spread out like an umbrella. Within a short time, their caps fan out like chicken feathers—hence the name ‘chicken.’ Because they grow out of the earth, they are called ‘zong’ (meaning ‘mound’).” These mushrooms have thick, plump flesh, delicate and silvery-white strands, and offer a deliciously sweet, fragrant, and crispy taste. They contain essential amino acids, proteins, fats, as well as various vitamins and minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, and riboflavin. Chicken truffles can be prepared in numerous ways—they can stand alone as a dish or be paired with vegetables, fish, meat, and all kinds of delicacies from land and sea. Whether stir-fried, deep-fried, pickled, pan-fried, tossed, braised, grilled, stewed, steamed, or used in soups, they remain wonderfully flavorful, earning them the title of “king of mushrooms.”