With a mild taste compared to other varieties, the white button mushrooms are widely used in many cuisines, including American, French, Indian and Italian dishes.
The best thing about this mushroom variety is eating it in both raw and cooked forms. You will have the mushrooms in both brown and white colors, thereby allowing you to introduce variations in the dishes.
Shiitake Mushroom
From the name itself, you can understand that the mushroom is native to the Japanese lands, and it grows in the wild on the oak tree.
However, nowadays, the shiitake mushrooms are cultivated worldwide, thereby making it the second-most widespread variety. The mushroom’s cap is slightly curled buy golden teacher shrooms underneath along the edges. You will get a light woody flavor in the raw form, which becomes intense as the mushrooms are dried.
Enoki Mushrooms
Enoki mushrooms are mainly eaten raw, thanks to the crunchy taste it adds in a dish. These mushrooms are both grown in the wild and cultivated in farms because of the high demands of the world’s enoki variety. The stems are quite long, and the mushroom caps are small, almost like a little flower sitting atop the stems.
Oyster Mushroom
Oyster mushrooms are popular in the Chinese and Japanese cuisines due to its fresh and mild taste that enhances the overall taste of the dish in which it is used. The mushrooms are large and white in color, with the cap having a fan shape.
Portobello Mushroom
The portabello mushroom has a meaty flavor and texture which makes it a great substitute for meat in the Italian cuisine. Starting from soups to toppings, the mushroom is widely used in many dishes. Also, its large structure allows you to make it a base for a bun recipe. These are much larger than white button mushrooms.
Porcini Mushroom
Mainly grown in the wild, the Porcini mushrooms are famous for their smooth texture and the wild, woody flavor. It’s mainly found in Italy and France in its fresh form. In other parts of the world, the dried mushrooms are found in the market.
What Are The Top Health Benefits Of Mushrooms?
Some might ask how an ingredient growing in the wild can benefit our health, especially when it’s a fungus. After all, fungi are said to be one of the disease-causing organisms in other animals and humans alike.
As a result of this perception, many people hesitate to even taste the mushrooms despite knowing that these fungi are rich in flavors. And that’s why people ask ‘what is a good substitute for mushrooms.
So, to ward off your confusion, let’s have a look at the major health benefits of this world-renowned food ingredient.