Shiitake Mushroom

Shiitake mushrooms are one of the world’s most popular culinary mushrooms, prized for their rich umami flavour and satisfyingly meaty texture. They have broad, dark brown caps with pale gills and firm, slightly chewy stems.

In the kitchen, shiitakes are remarkably versatile. They can be stir-fried, grilled, roasted, added to soups and broths, or used as a flavour base for vegetarian dishes. The stems are tougher than the caps and are often reserved for making stock. Dried shiitakes have an even more intense flavour and are a pantry staple in many Asian cuisines — they rehydrate quickly in warm water, and the soaking liquid makes an excellent stock.

Fresh shiitake mushrooms are readily available in Australian supermarkets, greengrocers, and Asian grocery stores year-round, thanks to domestic cultivation.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Shiitake mushrooms are cultivated on logs or, more commonly in commercial production, on compressed blocks of supplemented hardwood sawdust. The substrate is sterilised, inoculated with shiitake spawn, and incubated in controlled conditions for several weeks. Once the mycelium has colonised the block, fruiting is triggered by changes in temperature, humidity, and light. The mushrooms are harvested by hand as the caps reach full size but before they flatten out completely.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 34kcal
Protein 2.2g
Carbs 4.3g
Fat 0.5g
Fibre 2.5g Sugar 2.4g
Mass Distribution

1 piece whole is about 19 g — roughly 10 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈3kg
Freshwater ≈300L
Land ≈1m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

In the kitchen

Used as

umami asian mushroom

Classic dishes
  • Ramen
  • Miso soup
  • Hot pot
  • Stir-fried noodles

Keeping one at home? Track yours in your cubud →

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromShiitake Mushroom, fruiting body goes well withsoy sauce goes well withginger goes well withgarlic goes well withsesame oil goes well withbok choy
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