We know very well that mushrooms are widely consumed all over the world. One of the places in the world where the most types of mushrooms are consumed in gastronomy and most frequently is in Japan. The different types of japanese mushrooms they make the dishes more delicious and varied. Each type of mushroom gives the dish a different flavor and an exquisite texture. We must also know that Japanese mushrooms are different in terms of characteristics from ours.
Therefore, we are going to dedicate this article to tell you everything you need to know about Japanese mushrooms and what types exist.
Characteristics of Japanese mushrooms
For thousands of years in traditional oriental medicine, mushrooms have been used thanks to their medicinal properties. And is that Japanese mushrooms are a food quite valuable at the level of nutrients, with very few calories and with a high concentration of vegetable proteins. Some of the most beneficial nutrients for both athletes and non-athletes are zinc and iron.
These mushrooms have cleansing properties, which helps us eliminate excess fluids and promote greater digestive activity in our stomach. We can also say that they are one of the few organic sources that are rich in germanium. Germanium is nothing more than a substance that helps us increase the efficiency of oxygen in our body. This is how we achieve that athlete breathing is more efficient when it comes to incorporating oxygen into our blood. In addition, it helps us balance our body's ability to better resist exposure to environmental pollutants and neutralize toxic waste.
These mushrooms also have polysaccharides that contain properties that effectively stimulate our immune system. They are high in amino acids, especially lysine and tryptophan. Although some people despise mushrooms for their low vitamin content, this is not the case at all. Japanese mushrooms have vitamins B3, B2, B5, C, and K. They have other important compounds for health such as terpenes that act, antioxidants and help us protect lipids, blood and other body fluids from the attack of free radicals. Free radicals are found mostly in processed food and fast food. There are numerous studies that claim that mushrooms can help us increase the body's ability to adapt.
The best known mushroom species are shiitake, reishi and maitake. We are going to analyze one by one which are the most consumed Japanese mushrooms in the world.
Most famous types of Japanese mushrooms
Shiitake mushroom
The group of shiitake mushrooms are one of the most consumed in the world. Although they are Japanese mushrooms, their exquisite flavor means that they have spread throughout almost the entire globe. They are quite tasty and pack even more when dried and rehydrated. Shiitake mushrooms help us cover much of the copper consumption that is essential for the health of our heart. And it is that doctors warn many times that people do not have the necessary amount of copper in their diet. Shiitake mushrooms also help us to reduce inflammation, reduce the attack of viruses and tumors.
As for cooking, they are quite fresh and tasty and are often used for pure ballast and in hot pots. If we put the shiitake dry we can rehydrate it and it is perfect to make a vegetarian soup broth.
Maitake mushroom
Another of the Japanese mushrooms that are well known and consumed is the maitake. Maitake means to dance in Japanese. Maitake is said to have medicinal properties as it is rich in antioxidants, vitamin B, vitamin C, amino acids, potassium, copper, etc. All these content of nutrients, vitamins and minerals also help fight cancer and lower cholesterol. Doctors recommend it for those who have type II diabetes.
This Maitake is great to cook in stir-fries and deep-fried with tempura batter. The flavor could be described as something earthy and it is what makes many people like this mushroom.
Matsutake
Matsutake is also high in copper and essential for the production of red blood cells. Therefore, it is also used as a mushroom with medicinal properties. It has a high content of vegetable proteins, vitamins A, B and C. Like the mushrooms mentioned above, it also has properties that help us fight cancer and is high in antioxidants.
Due to all the benefits that this mushroom has, if we go outside of Japan its price rises exorbitantly. We can say that at the luxury level it is considered in the same category as truffles. Not only does its price rise because of the medicinal properties it has, but also because of its gastronomic value. And it is an especially popular mushroom since it can be cooked with rice and gives it an earthy and spicy flavor. It is highly recommended to eat them shortly after harvest since, if we keep them for too long, they begin to lose their flavor.
Shimeji
Shimeji is a mushroom with a high amount of protein which makes it a perfect ingredient for vegetarian diets. They have a high in copper, potassium, vitamin B and zinc. They are used numerous times with strokes, in stir-fries or in hot pots.
King oyster mushroom
It is another of the best-known types of Japanese mushrooms that have a high protein content and a lot of minerals and vitamins. It has anti-inflammatory properties, helps lower cholesterol, and has antioxidant properties. It is mainly used in cooking thanks to its meaty texture and earthy flavor. It is a type of mushroom that is reached eat alone without the need to accompany any other food on the plates. For example, there are many yakitori restaurants that serve it on skewers with a little butter and salt. Only these condiments are all they need to bring out their exquisite natural flavor.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about Japanese mushrooms.