Kingdom Fungi Class Agaricomycetes Family Physalacriaceae | Division Basidiomycota Order Agaricales Genus Flammulina | |
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Similar Shiitake, Shimeji, Mushroom, Pleurotus eryngii, Hen‑of‑the‑wood | ||
Enokitake (榎茸, エノキタケ, [enokitake], /ᵻˌnoʊkiˈtɑːkiː/), also Enokidake (榎茸, エノキダケ, [enokidake], /ᵻˌnoʊkiˈdɑːkiː/) or Enoki (榎, エノキ, [enoki], /ᵻˈnoʊki/), is a long, thin white mushroom used in East Asian cuisine (such as that of China, Japan, Vietnam and Korea). These mushrooms are cultivars of Flammulina velutipes, also known by the name golden needle mushroom or lily mushroom. Wild forms differing in color, texture, and sliminess are called names including seafood mushrooms, winter mushrooms or winter fungus, velvet foot, velvet stem or velvet shank.
Contents
This mushroom is available fresh or canned, with experts recommending fresh enoki specimens with firm, white, shiny caps, rather than those with slimy or brownish stalks that are best avoided. It is traditionally used for soups, but can also be used for salads and other dishes. The mushroom has a crisp texture and can be refrigerated for approximately one week.
Features
The mushroom naturally grows on the stumps of the Chinese Hackberry tree (Celtis sinensis, "enoki" in Japanese), but also on other trees, such as ash, mulberry and persimmon trees. There is a significant difference in appearance between the wild and cultivated types of the mushroom. Cultivated mushrooms have not been exposed to light, resulting in a white color, whereas wild mushrooms usually display a dark brown color. Cultivated mushrooms are grown in a carbon dioxide (CO2)-rich environment to nurture the development of long thin stems, whereas wild mushrooms produce a much shorter and thicker stem.
The wild variety of the mushroom may be found from September through to March, hence the name Winter Fungus.
Names
The names enokitake (榎茸、エノキタケ), enokidake (榎茸、エノキダケ) and enoki (榎、エノキ), are derived from the Japanese language. In Chinese, the mushroom is called jīnzhēngū 金針菇 ("gold needle mushroom") or jīngū 金菇 ("gold mushroom"). In Korean, it is called paengi beoseot (팽이버섯) which means "spinning top mushroom", and nấm kim châm in Vietnamese.
Health properties
Enokitake mushrooms contain antioxidants, like ergothioneine. Animal testing has indicated possible applications in the development of vaccines and cancer immunotherapy.
Research at the National University of Singapore, first published in 2005, stated that the stalk of the golden needle mushroom contains a large quantity of a protein, named "Five"/"FIP-fve" by the researchers, that helps in the regulation of the immune system. The mushroom also contains flammutoxin, a cytolytic and cardiotoxic protein that has proven to be non-toxic when absorbed orally.