Guide Note

Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies (i.e., the reproductive organs) of a wide variety of fungus species. Many kinds of mushroom are used for food, in cuisines worldwide.

The typical white mushroom of American cuisine is Agaricus bisporus, a species that also includes the brown crimini mushroom and the large, parasol-shaped portobello. It is often eaten raw, especially in salads, and is often cooked as an accompaniment to beef or on pizza.

The number of different mushrooms commonly eaten in North America has become much smaller with the advent of agribusiness and the grocery-store economy. Wild-collected varieties that used to be widely enjoyed include the morel, the chanterelle, the blewit, the ink cap, the maitake and the sulfur shelf. Many of these are now expensive luxury items. Truffles are also, by definition, mushrooms.

Different kinds of mushroom have widely different textures and flavors, but a near-constant appeal is umami, a basic taste like 'sweet' and 'salty' which is perceived by the human palate as 'savory.' Mushrooms are a wide and common source of meatless umami, in cuisines worldwide.

Fast Facts

1. Fleshy, spore-laden fungi
2. Some wild species are extremely poisonous
3. Research suggests Agaricus bisporus may have anti-cancer properties
4. Other research suggests it may have subtle cancer-causing effects
5. The nutritional effects of mushrooms are poorly-understood
6. Sources agree that they are an excellent source of B Vitamins