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Mushrooms and other edible fungus

All sorts of shapes and sizes

Mushrooms come in all shapes and sizes. The white button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) is the best-known edible mushroom in Europe, but did you know that many other delicious mushrooms are cultivated and sold? These are some of the mushrooms you are most likely to find in the supermarket.

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  White mushroom

  The mushroom sold most commonly in supermarkets is grown in the dark, which gives it its nice creamy white colour. The white mushroom comes in four types: button mushroom, closed cup mushroom, open cup mushroom and large mushroom. The type depends on the size of the cap, which continues to grow until the mushroom is picked and varies from two to five centimetres in diameter. The button mushroom is the smallest of the four. It has a nice, white, firm cap with a refined taste. The caps of these young mushrooms are closed, so undersides are not visible. Closed-cap mushrooms also have a nice, firm structure, but are slightly bigger than button mushrooms. If mushrooms are allowed to grow a bit longer, the cap opens, revealing dark brown gills underneath (the dark radiating ‘spokes’ inside the cap). This type of white mushroom is the open-cap mushroom. It is larger than the younger mushrooms, with black gills and a stronger flavour. As the name indicates, the large white mushroom is even bigger. The cap is flatter and the dark brown gills are clearly visible. Large mushrooms have the strongest flavour of the four types.

  White mushroom recipes
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  Gigante or Large Flat mushroom

  White mushrooms will continue growing as long as they are not picked; once the cap grows bigger than five centimetres, it is considered a gigante. This type of fully mature mushroom can grow as large as twelve centimetres in diameter and has a strong flavour.

  Gigante mushroom recipes
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  Chestnut mushroom

  The chestnut or cremini mushroom is closely related to the white mushroom and is similar in size and shape. The difference is its brown colour and nutty flavour. In addition, chestnut mushrooms have a lower water content, so they shrink less when cooked.

  Chestnut mushroom recipes
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  Portabello

  The portabello mushroom is simply a chestnut mushroom allowed to grow to full maturity and flavour. Like the giant white mushroom, the cap of a portabello mushroom can grow as large as twelve centimetres. Both types of giant mushroom are very popular in the UK.

  Portabello recipes
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  Cave mushroom

  As its name suggests, these mushrooms grow in caves, specifically in the marl pits of Limburg in The Netherlands and the Loire Valley in France. The cave mushroom is a creamy white colour and has a firmer structure than the button mushroom, so it shrinks less during cooking, like the brown chestnut mushroom.

  Cave mushroom recipes
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  Shiitake

  Shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes) vary in colour from light brown to very dark brown, but can be recognised by their flat cap and distinctive smell. The shiitake tastes as deliciously spicy as it smells. The shiitake mushroom is originally from Japan, where it grows on trees. In the Netherlands, the shiitake is cultivated on a sawdust-based medium mixed with straw and water.

  Did you know that shii-take is a Japanese word that means the mushroom that grows on the pasania tree?

  Shiitake recipes
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  Oyster mushroom

  The oyster mushroom, the name given to several species of Pleurotus, comes in many colours, ranging from light grey to pinkish, cream or yellow. Its name comes from its resemblance to an oyster shell: wide and fan-shaped. The oyster mushroom is cultivated on a damp, straw-based medium and has a soft, meaty flavour.

  A breaded, fried oyster mushroom is a delicious alternative to a veggie burger.

  Oyster mushroom
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  Horse mushroom

  The horse mushroom is also known as the aniseed mushroom, since it tastes and smells like aniseed. This mushroom, Agaricus arvensis, has a long stem and a small cap; the entire mushroom is edible. Horse mushrooms are especially tasty in salads. They can be found in the wild and available from speciality shops.

  Horse mushroom recipes
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  Almond mushroom

  The almond mushroom (Agaricus subrufescens) grows wild in the tropical climate of Brazil and Argentina. The same conditions are created artificially in the Netherlands to produce this mushroom's characteristic almond flavour and aroma. It has an irregularly shaped brown cap with a light-coloured stem.

  Almond mushroom recipes