A cultivated cream-coloured cluster mushroom from East Asia, often sold under the name bunashimeji.
Where it grows
The white beech mushroom is the pale colour strain of bunashimeji, an East Asian wood-decomposing fungus traditionally found on fallen beech and other hardwood logs in Japan. The cultivated form is grown in dense bouquet-like clusters on supplemented sawdust blocks in cool conditions.
How to recognise it
A bunch of long, thin, pure white stems, each topped with a small smooth white cap perhaps two centimetres across. The whole cluster is sold attached to a sawdust base. The flesh is firm, crunchy, and slightly sweet.
Edibility & cautions
A safe cultivated edible. Cooking is essential: raw or undercooked bunashimeji is unpleasantly bitter and can cause stomach upset. Brief but thorough cooking transforms the flavour into something nutty, buttery, and faintly seafood-like.
Culinary use
Trim the base, separate the cluster into small bunches, and sauté with garlic and a splash of soy. Excellent in noodle soups, stir-fries, and Japanese hot pots; pair well with fish and shellfish.
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White Beech starts with W and ends with H. Browse other mushrooms along the same letter.
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