Oyster Mushroom and Shiitake Mushroom – Nature’s Protectors
What if you could fight cancer, reduce pollution, be a natural aphrodisiac, be musically gifted and smell surprisingly good? You can’t. But these forest dwellers can. Found mostly in spring and autumn on the trunks of deciduous trees, both living and decaying, the mushrooms Peurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus djamor and Lentinula edodes are a truly talented bunch.
Are you feeling jealous yet? The good news, however, is that you can find all these talented mushrooms in your Equal Food basket that you receive at your home, so you can taste and absorb all their natural superpowers.
Grey oyster mushrooms, pink oyster mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms, as they’re more commonly known, boast some of the most impressive health benefits of all the superfoods, while also being incredibly tasty. It’s no wonder they’re considered divine gifts from the gods in ancient Chinese folklore. Not drooling yet? Let’s take a closer look at what makes this mystical and wonderful superfood so worthy of our respect.
What's inside mushrooms?
They are mainly composed of water, carbohydrates and proteins. Mushrooms, in general, are an excellent source of dietary fiber and energy. However, shiitake and oyster mushrooms raise the bar when it comes to medicinal benefits. Thanks to the statins they naturally produce, gray and pink oyster mushrooms have been shown to help reduce levels of bad cholesterol (LDL) in our bodies. LDL cholesterol is one of the main factors associated with cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, which is the leading cause of death in the West.
But these humble superfoods don’t stop there. Like shiitake mushrooms, oyster mushrooms contain beta-D-glucan polysaccharides, carbohydrates that help boost the immune system’s response to cancer. Shiitake mushrooms, whose medicinal properties have been known for millennia, are also a natural anti-inflammatory that strengthens our immune defenses, with the help of compounds that promote the production of white blood cells. Shiitakes are excellent sources of vitamins B and D2, essential for the functioning of digestive and metabolic processes, and cell regeneration. In addition to all this, they are also aphrodisiacs.
The tasty part
It’s not just their nutritional value that makes these mushrooms such a valuable addition to any foodie ’s nutritional arsenal. It’s also their versatility and unique flavor. Considered a delicacy in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean cuisine, gray oyster mushrooms have a nutty umami flavor with a hint of sweet anise, making them perfect for stir-fries, stews, and sauces.
Pink oyster mushrooms are chewier and more meat-like in flavor and texture, making them a great choice as a topping for pasta or risotto, or as a vegetarian alternative to bacon. They have a shelf life of around one day, which means they’re not easy to find in supermarkets.
Shiitake mushrooms have a buttery, earthy flavor when cooked, and are great for sautéing or adding to broth. The most popular type of shiitake is known as donko , and they are a rarer, smaller variety, distinguishable by the white slivers on their caps. Feeling hungry yet? Check out some more recipes, like this shiitake mushroom noodles recipe, and get cooking!
Funky fungi
Delicious and therapeutic, the virtues of these mushrooms seem endless. But wait, there’s more…
Recent discoveries in the field of mycology have revealed the indispensable role of mycelia in maintaining healthy soils and enabling communication between trees. In the case of gray oyster mushrooms, these mycelia are also used to paralyze and digest nematodes that attack them, making them one of the few carnivorous fungi.
Additionally, oyster mushrooms are able to neutralize and restore soils contaminated by toxins such as gasoline and petroleum oils, enhancing their reputation as forest protectors. In fact, these heroic fungi are capable of growing and degrading oxo-biodegradable plastics.
But perhaps the most bizarre discovery was made less than two years ago, when a pink oyster mushroom was connected to a modular synthesizer. The result is an otherworldly and surprisingly pleasant musical track , reminiscent of Mort Gartner's Plantasia (1976) . Who knows, maybe the future of music will be based on plants too.
Behind the scenes
These are truly magical organisms. It is a shame that so many are harvested only to be thrown away, at the whim of the ruthless corporate retail business that demands beauty standards that these mushrooms may not fit into. This is why we believe in reclaiming these virtuous foods: so that we can have the chance to experience what it truly means to be cared for while caring for those around us.
But the real hero of this story is the person who supplies them, mushroom farmer Bruno Miguel. Bruno runs Mushrooms Mountain , a family-run production in Valverde, Alcanede. He has been supplying Equal Food with his delicious surplus produce since 2019, and represents one of our longest and most cherished partnerships. Small, dedicated and organic, Mushrooms Mountain is exactly the kind of business that Equal Food strives to support, and we are truly grateful for the much-loved additions that complement our hampers.