Shiitake

The shiitake (/ʃɪˈtɑːkeɪ, ˌʃiːɪ-, -ki/;^[1] Japanese: [ɕiꜜːtake] ^ⓘ Chinese/black forest mushrooms or Lentinula edodes) is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed around the globe.

Shiitake
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Fungi
Division:	Basidiomycota
Class:	Agaricomycetes
Order:	Agaricales
Family:	Omphalotaceae
Genus:	Lentinula
Species:	L. edodes
Binomial name
Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler (1976)

Lentinula edodes Mycological characteristics
	Gills on hymenium
	Cap is convex
	Hymenium is free
	Stipe is bare
	Spore print is white to buff
	Ecology is saprotrophic
	Edibility is choice

Shiitake
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	香菇
Simplified Chinese	香菇
Hanyu Pinyin	xiānggū
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin xiānggū
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese	nấm hương
Thai name
Thai	เห็ดหอม (hèt hŏm)
Korean name
Hangul	표고
Hanja	瓢菰
Transcriptions Revised Romanization pyogo
Japanese name
Kanji	椎茸 or 香蕈
Hiragana	しいたけ

Taxonomy

The fungus was first described scientifically as Agaricus edodes by Miles Joseph Berkeley in 1877.^[2] It was placed in the genus Lentinula by David Pegler in 1976.^[3] The fungus has acquired an extensive synonymy in its taxonomic history:^[4]

• Agaricus edodes Berk. (1878)
• Armillaria edodes (Berk.) Sacc. (1887)
• Mastoleucomychelloes edodes (Berk.) Kuntze (1891)
• Cortinellus edodes (Berk.) S.Ito & S.Imai (1938)
• Lentinus edodes (Berk.) Singer (1941)
• Collybia shiitake J.Schröt. (1886)
• Lepiota shiitake (J.Schröt.) Nobuj. Tanaka (1889)
• Cortinellus shiitake (J.Schröt.) Henn. (1899)
• Tricholoma shiitake (J.Schröt.) Lloyd (1918)
• Lentinus shiitake (J.Schröt.) Singer (1936)
• Lentinus tonkinensis Pat. (1890)
• Lentinus mellianus Lohwag (1918)

The mushroom's Japanese name shiitake (椎茸) is a compound word composed of shii (椎, Castanopsis), for the tree Castanopsis cuspidata that provides the dead logs on which it is typically cultivated, and take (茸, "mushroom").^[5] The specific epithet edodes is the Latin word for "edible".^[6]

It is also commonly called "sawtooth oak mushroom", "black forest mushroom", "black mushroom", "golden oak mushroom", or "oakwood mushroom".^[7]

Distribution and habitat

Shiitake grow in groups on the decaying wood of deciduous trees, particularly shii and other chinquapins, chestnut, oak, maple, beech, sweetgum, poplar, hornbeam, ironwood, and mulberry. Its natural distribution includes warm and moist climates in Southeast Asia.^[5]

Cultivation

The earliest written record of shiitake cultivation is seen in the Records of Longquan County (龍泉縣志) compiled by He Zhan (何澹) in 1209 during the Song dynasty in China.^[8] The 185-word description of shiitake cultivation from that literature was later cross-referenced many times and eventually adapted in a book by a Japanese horticulturist Satō Chūryō (佐藤中陵) in 1796, the first book on shiitake cultivation in Japan.^[9] The Japanese cultivated the mushroom by cutting shii trees with axes and placing the logs by trees that were already growing shiitake or contained shiitake spores.^[10][11] Before 1982, the Japan Islands' variety of these mushrooms could only be grown in traditional locations using ancient methods.^[12] A 1982 report on the budding and growth of the Japanese variety revealed opportunities for commercial cultivation in the United States.^[13]

Shiitake are widely cultivated worldwide, contributing about 25% of the total yearly production of mushrooms.^[14] Commercially, shiitake mushrooms are typically grown in conditions similar to their natural environment on either artificial substrate or hardwood logs, such as oak.^[13][14][15]

Toxicity

Main article: Shiitake mushroom dermatitis

Rarely, consumption of raw or slightly cooked shiitake mushrooms may cause an allergic reaction called "shiitake dermatitis", including an erythematous, micro-papular, streaky pruriginous rash that occurs all over the body including face and scalp, appearing about 24 hours after consumption, possibly worsening by sun exposure and disappearing after 3 to 21 days.^[16] This effect – presumably caused by the polysaccharide, lentinan^[16] – is more common in East Asia,^[17] but may be growing in occurrence in Europe as shiitake consumption increases.^[16] Thorough cooking may eliminate the allergenicity.^[18]

Uses

Mushrooms, shiitake, raw

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	141 kJ (34 kcal)
Carbohydrates	6.8 g
Sugars	2.4 g
Dietary fiber	2.5 g
Fat	0.5 g
Protein	2.2 g
Vitamins and minerals Vitamins Quantity %DV† Thiamine (B1) 2% 0.02 mg Riboflavin (B2) 17% 0.22 mg Niacin (B3) 24% 3.88 mg Pantothenic acid (B5) 30% 1.5 mg Vitamin B6 17% 0.29 mg Folate (B9) 3% 13 μg Vitamin C 4% 3.5 mg Vitamin D 2% 0.4 μg Minerals Quantity %DV† Calcium 0% 2 mg Iron 2% 0.4 mg Magnesium 5% 20 mg Manganese 9% 0.2 mg Phosphorus 9% 112 mg Potassium 10% 304 mg Sodium 0% 9 mg Zinc 9% 1.0 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	89.7 g
Selenium	5.7 ug
Full Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[19] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[20]

Fresh and dried shiitake have many uses in East and Southeast Asia. In Chinese cuisine, they are used in many dishes, including soups, braises, and stir-fried vegetable dishes such as Buddha's delight. In Japan, they are served in miso soup, used as the basis for a kind of vegetarian dashi, and as an ingredient in many steamed and simmered dishes.

Two prized varieties are produced in cooler temperatures: One high-grade variety is called dōnggū (冬菇) (literally "winter mushroom") in Chinese, or donko (冬子) in Japanese.^[21] The most highly prized variety is called huāgū (花菇) (literally "flower mushroom") in Chinese, due to the flower-like pattern of cracks in the cap.

Mushrooms, shiitake, dried

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy	1,238 kJ (296 kcal)
Carbohydrates	75.37 g
Sugars	2.21 g
Dietary fiber	11.5 g
Fat	0.99 g
Protein	9.58 g
Vitamins and minerals Vitamins Quantity %DV† Thiamine (B1) 25% 0.3 mg Riboflavin (B2) 98% 1.27 mg Niacin (B3) 88% 14.1 mg Pantothenic acid (B5) 438% 21.879 mg Vitamin B6 57% 0.965 mg Folate (B9) 41% 163 μg Vitamin C 4% 3.5 mg Vitamin D 20% 3.9 μg Minerals Quantity %DV† Calcium 1% 11 mg Iron 10% 1.72 mg Magnesium 31% 132 mg Manganese 51% 1.176 mg Phosphorus 24% 294 mg Potassium 51% 1534 mg Sodium 1% 13 mg Zinc 70% 7.66 mg
Other constituents	Quantity
Water	9.5 g
Selenium	46 ug
Link to USDA Database entry
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[19] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[20]

Nutrition

In a 100-gram (3+1⁄2-ounce) reference serving, raw shiitake mushrooms provide 141 kilojoules (34 kilocalories) of food energy and are 90% water, 7% carbohydrates, 2% protein and less than 1% fat. Raw shiitake mushrooms contain moderate levels of some dietary minerals.

Like all mushrooms, shiitakes produce vitamin D2 upon exposure of their internal ergosterol to ultraviolet B (UVB) rays from sunlight or broadband UVB fluorescent tubes.^[22][23]

Gallery

• 
  Fresh shiitake mushroom in the vegetable market in Hong Kong
• 
  Shiitake growing wild in Hokkaido
• 
  Korean pyogo-bokkeum (stir-fried shiitake mushroom)
• 
  Japanese ekiben shiitake-meshi (椎茸めし)
• Timelapse video of shiitake growth
• 
  Lentinan, a beta-glucan isolated from the shiitake mushroom
• 
  Young shiitake mushrooms on a log

References

1. Wells, John C. (2008), Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.), Longman, ISBN 9781405881180
2. Berkeley MJ. (1877). "Enumeration of the fungi collected during the Expedition of H.M.S. 'Challenger', 1874–75. (Third notice)". Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society. 16 (89): 38–54. doi:10.1111/j.1095-8339.1877.tb00170.x.
3. Pegler D. (1975). "The classification of the genus Lentinus Fr. (Basidiomycota)". Kavaka. 3: 11–20.
4. "GSD Species Synonymy: Lentinula edodes (Berk.) Pegler". Species Fungorum. CAB International. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
5. Wasser S. (2004). "Shiitake (Lentinula edodes)". In Coates PM; Blackman M; Cragg GM; White JD; Moss J; Levine MA. (eds.). Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements. CRC Press. pp. 653–64. ISBN 978-0-8247-5504-1.
6. Halpern GM. (2007). Healing Mushrooms. Square One Publishers. p. 48. ISBN 978-0-7570-0196-3.
7. Stamets, P. (2000). Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms (3rd ed.). Berkeley, California: Ten Speed Press. p. 260. ISBN 978-1-58008-175-7.
8. 香菇简介 [Mushroom Introduction] (in Chinese). Yuwang jituan. Archived from the original on 25 February 2017.
9. Miles PG; Chang S-T. (2004). Mushrooms: Cultivation, Nutritional Value, Medicinal Effect, and Environmental Impact. CRC Press. p. 241. ISBN 978-0-203-49208-6.
10. Tilak, Shantanu (2019). "The Shiitake Mushroom-A History in Magic & Folklore" (PDF). The Mycophile. Vol. 59, no. 1. pp. 1, 4. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 February 2019.
11. Przybylowicz, Paul; Donoghue, John (1988). Shiitake Growers Handbook: The Art and Science of Mushroom Cultivation. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt. pp. 3–6. ISBN 978-0-8403-4962-0.
12. Mushroom Newsletter for the Tropics: The Official Publication of the International Mushroom Society for the Tropics. International Mushroom Society for the Tropics. 1980.
13. Leatham GF. (1982). "Cultivation of shiitake, the Japanese forest mushroom, on logs: A potential industry for the United States" (PDF). Forest Products Journal. 32 (8): 29–35. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 July 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2010.
14. Vane CH. (2003). "Monitoring decay of black gum wood (Nyssa sylvatica) during growth of the Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes) using diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy". Applied Spectroscopy. 57 (5): 514–517. Bibcode:2003ApSpe..57..514V. doi:10.1366/000370203321666515. PMID 14658675. S2CID 27403919.
15. Vane CH; Drage TC; Snape CE. (2003). "Biodegradation of oak (Quercus alba) wood during growth of the Shiitake mushroom (Lentinula edodes): A molecular approach". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 51 (4): 947–956. doi:10.1021/jf020932h. PMID 12568554.
16. Boels D; Landreau A; Bruneau C; Garnier R; Pulce C; Labadie M; de Haro L; Harry P. (2014). "Shiitake dermatitis recorded by French Poison Control Centers – New case series with clinical observations". Clinical Toxicology. 52 (6): 625–8. doi:10.3109/15563650.2014.923905. PMID 24940644. S2CID 21541970.
17. Hérault M; Waton J; Bursztejn AC; Schmutz JL; Barbaud A. (2010). "Shiitake dermatitis now occurs in France". Annales de Dermatologie et de Vénéréologie. 137 (4): 290–3. doi:10.1016/j.annder.2010.02.007. PMID 20417363.
18. Welbaum GE. (2015). Vegetable Production and Practices. CAB International. p. 445. ISBN 978-1-78064-534-6.
19. United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". FDA. Archived from the original on 27 March 2024. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
20. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine; Health and Medicine Division; Food and Nutrition Board; Committee to Review the Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium (2019). "Chapter 4: Potassium: Dietary Reference Intakes for Adequacy". In Oria, Maria; Harrison, Meghan; Stallings, Virginia A. (eds.). Dietary Reference Intakes for Sodium and Potassium. The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health. Washington, DC: National Academies Press (US). pp. 120–121. doi:10.17226/25353. ISBN 978-0-309-48834-1. PMID 30844154. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
21. Chang TS; Hayes WA. (2013). The Biology and Cultivation of Edible Mushrooms. Elsevier Science. p. 470. ISBN 978-1-4832-7114-9.
22. Ko JA; Lee BH; Lee JS; Park HJ. (2008). "Effect of UV-B exposure on the concentration of vitamin D2 in sliced shiitake mushroom (Lentinus edodes) and white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus)". J Agric Food Chem. 50 (10): 3671–3674. doi:10.1021/jf073398s. PMID 18442245.
23. Cardwell, Glenn; Bornman, Janet F.; James, Anthony P.; Black, Lucinda J. (13 October 2018). "A Review of Mushrooms as a Potential Source of Dietary Vitamin D". Nutrients. 10 (10): 1498. doi:10.3390/nu10101498. PMC 6213178. PMID 30322118.

External links

• Media related to Lentinula edodes at Wikimedia Commons