Honggang Matsutake

Honggang Matsutake

　　Matsutake, scientifically known as Tricholoma matsutake, also called Large Flower Mushroom, Matsutake, or Bark-peeling Mushroom, is referred to as "Yumuluo" in the Naxi language. It is a delicacy among the native fungi of Lijiang. The product is mainly air-exported from Lijiang, available either fresh or salt-preserved.

Matsutake is rich in crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, and vitamins B1, B2, and vitamin PP. Not only is it delicious in taste, but it also benefits the stomach and intestines, regulates qi and resolves phlegm, expels parasites, and has unique therapeutic effects on diabetes, making it an ideal health food for middle-aged and elderly people. In Europe and Japan, matsutake has long been regarded as a mountain delicacy. In ancient Japan, it was even one of the tribute items offered by commoners to nobility and royalty.

Matsutake is a rare and precious edible mushroom in its pure natural state, hailed as the "King of Mushrooms." Legend has it that after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima in August 1945, matsutake was the only plant to survive. To this day, it cannot be artificially cultivated anywhere in the world. It grows in alpine forests at altitudes above 3,500 meters in cold temperate zones. The Song Dynasty pharmacopoeia "Jing Shi Zheng Lei Bei Ji Ben Cao" documented it. Research has shown that matsutake is rich in protein, various amino acids, unsaturated fatty acids, nucleic acid derivatives, peptides, and other rare elements. Matsutake is harvested and consumed from early August to mid-October in autumn. It has a particularly strong aroma and a texture like abalone—extremely smooth and palatable.

In Japan, matsutake is known as the "King of Mushrooms." Japanese people are accustomed to eating matsutake dishes in autumn, believing in the principle of "like nourishes like," and consuming it is believed to strengthen vitality, nourish kidneys, improve brain function, and have anti-cancer effects. When freshly picked, it can be roasted over pine branch fire, offering the fragrance of deep mountain pine forests. On crisp autumn days, sitting with friends on the grass by the forest edge, surrounded by red leaves and blooming wildflowers, evokes a profound sense of the passage of time.

The growth of matsutake requires three basic conditions: beauty pine trees, Dali fragrant flowers, and sandy loam soil. Harvesting is relatively difficult. Locals often go up the mountains at night with flashlights, and after picking, they use ice packs to cool the mushrooms. They generally remain fresh for only about three days, which makes them especially precious.

Matsutake produced in the north and south differ significantly in quality due to varying growth periods and climatic conditions. Northern matsutake is whiter in color, firmer in texture, has a stronger aroma, better taste, higher nutritional content, and is easier to store. Southern matsutake tends to be slightly darker, more moist and watery, prone to spoilage, with a less intense fragrance and a lower price.