Qujing Chicken Truffle Mushrooms

Qujing Chicken Truffle Mushrooms

　　Chicken Truffle Mushrooms: Commonly known as "chicken cup," also called termite mushrooms or chicken thread mushrooms. Chicken Truffle Mushrooms are a delicious mountain delicacy, hailed as the "king of fungi." Their flesh is plump and robust, fine-textured with white threads, tasting sweet, tender, and crisp, with a fragrant and appetizing flavor that rivals that of chicken—hence the name. There are many varieties of Chicken Truffle Mushrooms, including black-skinned, green-skinned, white-skinned, and grass-skinned. Among them, the black-skinned variety is considered the finest. The mushroom season runs from June to September each year, and they mostly grow on slopes in unpolluted red-soil mountain forests or near termite mounds in fields. When the caps first emerge from the ground, they are conical in shape. As they expand, the center bulges, with a surface that is yellowish-brown or dark brown, darker in the center, and often radially cracked at the edges. The gills are white and turn slightly yellow when cooked. The flesh is white, tender, and thick. Whether steamed or simmered in soup, they emit a rich fragrance, taste sweet and delicious, and leave a lasting aftertaste, making them a highly praised edible fungus throughout history and across the world. Chicken Truffle Mushrooms can be prepared in numerous ways—stir-fried, boiled, stewed, or used in soups. They are used to create a variety of signature dishes, forming a whole Chicken Truffle Mushroom feast. Examples include cold tossed Chicken Truffle Mushrooms, braised Chicken Truffle Mushrooms, pan-fried raw Chicken Truffle Mushrooms, and ham-stuffed Chicken Truffle Mushrooms. Dried Chicken Truffle Mushrooms, pickled Chicken Truffle Mushrooms, or oil-fried Chicken Truffle Mushrooms, made by air-drying, salting, or frying in vegetable oil, can be stored for a long time for year-round consumption, yet still retain the distinctive flavor of the fresh mushrooms.