However, I use white buna-shimeji for vegan shimeji mushroom miso soup.
The brown one is more common than the white. In the buna-shimeji category, there are two different kinds brown and white. The words “buna-shimeji”, “bunashimeji”, and “shimeji” maybe used interchangeably. However, the regulation has been established stating they two are completely different products (species) to avoid consumer’s confusion.ĭespite the availability of the cultivated hon-shimeji, buna-shimeji is indeed the most common type of shimeji mushrooms that we eat. Buna-shimeji used to be sold as hon-shimeji as there wasn’t a clear distinction between the two. On the other hand, majority of buna-shimeji you see in stores is cultivated. As a result, you may find cultivated ones in some grocery stores in Japan. Although, hon-shimeji used to grow only in the wild (it was difficult to cultivate), now the cultivation has been successful. Hon-shimeji has a similar look to brown buna-shimeji but the ones grown in a natural environment (wild) should be called hon-shimeji, per se. On the other hand, wild buna-shimeji grows on dead or fallen beech trees. Wild hon-shimeji grows on live Jolcham oak trees and/or Japanese red pine trees. There is a variety of shimeji mushrooms in the category and the ones that we’re typically referring to are: Shimeji mushrooms are widely used in the Japanese culinary scene.
It’s also written in kanji as 占地 (invaded or occupied the ground) or 湿地 (grown in high humidity ground.) Shimeji in Japanese is written in Hiragana as as the most commonly used way. Shimeji is a Japanese word for “beech mushroom” in English. If you’ve only tried shiitake to incorporate into your Japanese recipes, shimeji mushroom is a must try ingredient! You can make from side dishes to main dishes, from authentic Japanese dishes to Japanese fusion dishes. Shimeji Mushrooms are a very versatile popular mushroom that often appear in Japanese family-style home cooked meals.