Shiitake

Taxonomy

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

• 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 is a compound word composed of shii, for the tree Castanopsis cuspidata that provides the dead logs on which it is typically cultivated, and . The specific epithet edodes is the Latin word for "edible".

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

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.

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. 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 in 1796, the first book on shiitake cultivation in Japan. 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. Before 1982, the Japan Islands' variety of these mushrooms could only be grown in traditional locations using ancient methods. A 1982 report on the budding and growth of the Japanese variety revealed opportunities for commercial cultivation in the United States.

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

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. This effect – presumably caused by lentinan, a polysaccharide – is more common in East Asia, but may be growing in occurrence in Europe as shiitake consumption increases. Thorough cooking may eliminate the allergenicity.

Uses

Two prized varieties are produced in cooler temperatures. One high-grade variety is called dōnggū (冬菇) (literally "winter mushroom") in Chinese, or in Japanese. 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.

Nutrition

In a 100 g reference serving, raw shiitake mushrooms provide 141 kJ 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.

Gallery

File:Shiitake mushroom in Vegetable store in Yuen Long.jpg|Fresh shiitake mushroom in the vegetable market in Hong Kong File:Wild Shiitake-Mushroom Japan.JPG|Shiitake growing wild in Hokkaido File:Pyogobokkeum.jpg|Korean pyogo-bokkeum (stir-fried shiitake mushroom) File:Shiitake Meshi Ekiben.JPG|Japanese ekiben File:Shiitake timelapse.webm|Timelapse video of shiitake growth File:Lentinan.svg|Lentinan, a beta-glucan isolated from the shiitake mushroom File:Shitake Mushroom.jpg|Young shiitake mushrooms on a log

References

References

1. Wells, John C.. (2008). "Longman Pronunciation Dictionary". Longman.
2. Stamets, P.. (2000). "Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms". Ten Speed Press.
3. Yuwang jituan. link
4. Tilak, Shantanu. (2019). "The Shiitake Mushroom-A History in Magic & Folklore".
5. (1988). "Shiitake Growers Handbook: The Art and Science of Mushroom Cultivation". Kendall/Hunt.
6. (1980). "Mushroom Newsletter for the Tropics: The Official Publication of the International Mushroom Society for the Tropics". International Mushroom Society for the Tropics.
7. (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.
8. (2018-10-13). "A Review of Mushrooms as a Potential Source of Dietary Vitamin D". Nutrients.
9. 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.
10. (2014). "Shiitake dermatitis recorded by French Poison Control Centers – New case series with clinical observations". Clinical Toxicology.
11. (2013). "The Biology and Cultivation of Edible Mushrooms". Elsevier Science.
12. Wasser S.. (2004). "Encyclopedia of Dietary Supplements". CRC Press.
13. Halpern GM.. (2007). "Healing Mushrooms". [[Square One Publishers]].
14. (2010). "Shiitake dermatitis now occurs in France". Annales de Dermatologie et de Vénéréologie.
15. Leatham GF.. (1982). "Cultivation of shiitake, the Japanese forest mushroom, on logs: A potential industry for the United States". Forest Products Journal.
16. (2004). "Mushrooms: Cultivation, Nutritional Value, Medicinal Effect, and Environmental Impact". CRC Press.
17. Pegler D.. (1975). "The classification of the genus ''Lentinus'' Fr. (Basidiomycota)". Kavaka.
18. (2003). "Biodegradation of oak (''Quercus alba'') wood during growth of the Shiitake mushroom (''Lentinula edodes''): A molecular approach". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry.
19. 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.
20. "GSD Species Synonymy: ''Lentinula edodes'' (Berk.) Pegler". Species Fungorum. CAB International.
21. Welbaum GE.. (2015). "Vegetable Production and Practices". CAB International.