(Xuping Tang）

Chinese people enjoy eating mushrooms, especially enoki mushrooms. Its smooth and crisp texture, along with its fresh and fragrant flavor, affordable price, and high nutritional content, have made it a favorite among people. Whether used in soups, cold salads, stir-fries, side dishes, hot pot, or Japanese cuisine, it is considered a top-quality ingredient. However, all the enoki mushrooms available in supermarkets are cultivated artificially. These cultivated enoki mushrooms have some differences in terms of nutrition, texture, and even appearance compared to wild enoki mushrooms.

Wild enoki mushrooms, also known as velvety stem mushrooms or velvety enoki mushrooms (scientific name: Flammulina velutipes), are named for the characteristic black velvety fuzz on the lower part of their stems. The English term “velvet foot” and the German term “Samtfu?” both refer to this feature.

Enoki mushrooms can be found worldwide and are a type of edible mushroom that thrives in low-temperature environments. They grow best at temperatures around 8°C and are highly sensitive to moisture levels. The fruiting body, which can withstand freezing temperatures, is typically 2-10 centimeters wide, with thin flesh that ranges from honey-yellow to reddish-brown. The center tends to be darker and somewhat oily. They often grow in clusters on trees during cold seasons, earning them the nickname “winter mushroom.”

Just like now, we have just experienced a rare heavy snowfall in Munich. When we were walking after the snow, by the creek in front of our house, we accidentally saw several clusters of enoki mushrooms growing on the trees, their golden color among the white snow. Especially eye-catching. In this cold season with fewer mushrooms available, the deliciousness and nutritional value of enoki mushrooms have already made them a favorite among mushroom enthusiasts, just like wood ear mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms, during the winter.

However, the yield of wild Enoki mushrooms has always been very low, and peoples demand for it is very high. Therefore, people have been looking for ways to cultivate it artificially for a long time. Until 1928 in the last century, Hikosaburo Moriki of Kyoto, Japan It was only then that the cultivation technology using sawdust and rice bran as culture media was invented, which started the large-scale artificial cultivation of Enoki mushrooms. During the cultivation process, to eliminate the impact of the fuzz on the mushroom stems on the texture, people gradually bred enoki mushroom varieties with slender and long stems and small caps that dont open easily. This led to the enoki mushrooms we see today: one type is white in color, also known as silver needle mushrooms, which are whiter and thinner, while the other type is yellow enoki mushrooms, which have a creamy yellow color. Large-scale cultivation has made enoki mushrooms the third-largest artificially cultivated edible mushroom in the world, following only button mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms in terms of production volume.

Flammulina enoki mushrooms have many nicknames. There is a very foreign and funny name called “see you tomorrow” which literally translates to “see you tomorrow”. This is mainly because enoki mushrooms contain more dietary fiber, and humans lack the enzymes to digest this type of dietary fiber. Therefore, as long as you do not chew thoroughly, the enoki mushrooms you eat the day before will definitely be excreted unchanged the next day. Due to this mixed reputation, it seems that eating enoki mushrooms is still a test of whether your teeth work well. Furthermore, they are also known as “brain-boosting mushrooms” because they are rich in amino acids and protein, which can enhance memory and cognitive function. They are especially beneficial for promoting intellectual development in children.

For mushrooms like enoki mushrooms, which have both medicinal and dietary properties, there are early records in traditional Chinese medicine’s ancient text “Ben Cao Gang Mu” (本草纲目). Enoki mushrooms are described as having a cool nature and a sweet taste, and they are attributed to the spleen and large intestine meridians. They are known for their ability to nourish the liver and benefit the digestive system. They can be effective in treating liver disorders, ulcers, and constipation. Additionally, enoki mushrooms are believed to have properties that help clear damp-heat, expand the chest, promote diuresis, stop bleeding, and facilitate lactation. For postpartum women experiencing insufficient milk production, consuming enoki mushrooms stewed with lean meat is considered highly effective in increasing milk supply.

Furthermore, modern medical research has discovered that enoki mushrooms are highly nutritious and offer various health benefits when consumed regularly:

1.Enoki mushrooms have a high protein content and contain vitamins B1 and B2, along with 18 different amino acids, including 8 essential ones for the human body. The total amount of amino acids in enoki mushrooms constitutes around 20% of their dry weight. Lysine, in particular, is beneficial for childrens bone growth and intellectual development, which is one of the main reasons they are referred to as “brain-boosting mushrooms.”

2.Enoki mushrooms contain a compound called enokipodin, which has been found to have certain inhibitory effects on specific tumors. Additionally, the dietary fiber found in enoki mushrooms can help lower cholesterol levels, making them beneficial for preventing and managing cardiovascular diseases. Enoki mushrooms also possess detoxifying properties and can aid in detoxification from certain heavy metals.

3. Flammulina velutipes is a high-potassium and low-sodium food. Eating enoki mushrooms can improve the bodys immunity, resist fatigue, and have antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.

Considerations when consuming enoki mushrooms:

1. Dont eat too much at one time, because mushrooms contain high fiber, and eating too much may cause diarrhea; in addition, patients with lupus erythematosus or arthritis are best not to eat often, otherwise it will make the condition worse.

2. When cooking enoki mushrooms, avoid overcooking them. It is better to enjoy them in salads or in hot pot dishes. Also, make sure to chew them thoroughly, as they may not be effectively digested and absorbed by the body if not properly chewed.

In the Figure 1, Artificially cultivated silver needle mushrooms and golden needle mushrooms

In the Figure 2, Wild enoki mushrooms on a dry tree by the creek in front of the gate

In the Figure 2 and 4, The distinguishing feature of wild enoki mushrooms is the presence of black hairs on both the upper and lower sides of the mushroom cap, with a black fuzz on the stem.

In Figure 5, wild enoki mushrooms cluster and grow at the base of the tree, with golden-yellow, greasy caps.

In Figure 6, a post-snow stroll reveals that the enoki mushrooms have long been frozen into ice-cold beauties, yet they still hold their beauty.”

Author information：

Xuping Tang, Munich, Germany