Chinatown Foray
A grand time was had by the 40 BMC members who gathered for the club’s Chinatown Foray in Boston. The object was to identify as many mushrooms as possible in Asian groceries and herbalist shops. We found lots! Dried, fresh, frozen and canned (see full story for a list of species).
After scouring the shops we all convened at a dim sum restaurant for a great feast that featured more mushrooms in dumplings and other dishes. As the picture attests, BMC folks know how to enjoy themselves!
Special thanks to Marcia and Susan for arranging the event, and to Ben Maleson for sharing his knowledge of both mushrooms and Chinese language and culture.
Species List (formal identification/translation courtesy of Ben Maleson)
Oyster (ping gu) - Pleurotus ostreatus
Enoki (“golden needle”) - Flammulina velutipes
Beech - Hypsizygus tessellatus or marmoreus
White beech (strain of the brown Beech)
Shiitake - Lentinula edodes
King oyster (xing pao gu) - Pleurotus eryngii
White button mushroom - Agaricus
Reishi (ling zhi) - Ganoderma lucidum (herbalists)
Abalone mushroom - Pleurotus eryngii var. ferulae
Straw mushroom - Volvariella volvacea
Black wood ear - Auricularia polytricha
White wood ear - Tremella fuciformis
Houtou (“monkey’s head”) - Hericium erinaceus
Netted stinkhorn (zhu sheng) - Dyctiophora indusiata*
*now Phallus indusiatus, according to the Dictionary of the Fungi
posted 2010-02-21 08:23:57