How do different cultures use mushrooms?
Mushrooms are an essential part of many cultures. They are generally a staple food that goes in soups, grilled over the fire, or sautéed into a hardy meal to give it a deep umami flavor. Today we will look at how different cultures use these mushrooms and how we can apply them in our own countries.
CHINA:
China is the most populous country on the planet. As such they are the largest consumer of mushrooms in the world. Here are a few of the dishes that use mushrooms.
Stir fry - Stir fried foods are a staple in China and mushrooms are no exception for being applied. You can find stir fried dishes with mushrooms even at a local Panda Express around the world. The Chinese apply every type of mushroom you can think of to these dishes: Shiitake, wood ear, oyster, and more
Dumplings - Contrary to what we believe, mushrooms do not have to be a substitute for meat. In fact, they can complement the taste of meat and even add a softer texture to a normal bite of meat. As such you might find that some chinese dumplings have meat and mushroom fillings or if you prefer a vegan option you might find a tofu and mushroom dumpling.
Soups - You can find mushrooms in any type of soup across asia and especially China. Like in America, most restaurants make their own spin on local favorites and China is no different. You can find shiitake, maitake, cremini, black poplar, and enoki in many soups. Shabu shabu is a popular dish that uses heated soup to cook meats and vegetables at your table, you might find that you can apply mushrooms in these cases as well: just throw them in and taste your soup get better in minutes.
JAPAN:
Japan has influenced mushroom culture in America greatly. Many of the mushrooms we know today hail from japan. Mushrooms like maitake, shiitake, and enoki are colloquially known by their Japanese names. Much like in China and the rest of the world, mushrooms are a staple vegetable that are used in dishes casually and in professional restaurants. You can find them being grilled on the side of a street or being sliced thinly over an expensive savory dish. The Japanese use these mushrooms.
Soups - The Japanese love their soup and using mushrooms is a natural application to this. You might find dried and fresh mushrooms in miso soup.
Yakitori - This dish is a special street food in Japan that puts different ingredients on a stick and over time is coated with a sauce. You might find mushrooms as an option at any of these yakitori stalls across Japan. You can also find them offered in some izakayas across America.
Dumplings - You can find fried, grilled, or steamed dumplings across japan and like in China there might be some type of meat/mushroom mixture applied to the filling.
SOUTH KOREA:
South Korea, like China and Japan, has mushrooms interwoven into their culture. Like other eastern countries you can find them used in soups, grilled, and even stir fried.
Soups - Soups like yukgaejang, gochujang, and hot pot will have dried mushrooms used in the stock or fresh mushrooms boiled and served with the dish.
Stir fried - You might find stir fried mushrooms used as a side dish at some restaurants in Korea and Korean restaurants in America, while rare, it is still possible to find chopped up wood ear or shiitake mushrooms mixed with other veggies as a topping in glass noodles or Japchae.
Grilled - A staple of Korean cuisine is grilled meat, samgyupsal, bulgogi, and hanwoo might be some of the delicious meats you experience in Korea and restaurants in America but what is often overlooked are the grilled king trumpet mushrooms offered with your meats. Often grilled with their caps upside down, the caps fill with water you might drink. These mushrooms give a nice fresh compliment to fatty meat that is grilled.
What we have provided here is a short list of eastern countries who have mushrooms used widely across their culture. There are many countries around the globe that use mushrooms but we chose to focus on the east for our story. The dishes they make apply mushrooms as a daily vegetable and we hope our customers enjoy the mushrooms we sell in the best possible manner. This list is a concise look at some dish types that will allow you to look further into the style of cooking you’d like to apply to your own mushrooms. Take a look at some of our other articles that go in depth into the cuisines of China, South Korea, and Japan to enjoy what others on the other side of the globe have been enjoying for centuries.
