Description
Nutritional Value
In addition to their culinary uses, Shiitake mushrooms have long been used for their health properties. They are rich in vitamins and minerals with potently high levels of vitamin B2, B12 and vitamin D. Shiitakes are a source of the compound Lentinan, which is being evaluated for cancer treatment.
How to use
Shiitake mushrooms should be cooked prior to eating. This variety only need 10-12 minutes cooking time. When cooked, they release a garlic-pine aroma and have a rich, earthy, umami flavour (savoury or meaty).
Although Shiitake mushrooms are a cultivated variety, their flavour and texture lends well in recipes calling for ‘wild mushrooms’. You can pair Shiitake with most meats (steak, chicken, duck, pork), fish (salmon, cod), Asian greens, eggplant, rice, noodles, garlic, soy and chili. They can be sautéed, roasted, skewered and grilled …or boiled by adding to a soup or hot pot.
General Info
- Shiitake mushrooms, pronounced shee-TAH-kay, range in colour from amber to ‘paper bag-brown’ and are available year-round from our indoor grow rooms at Ohau Gourmet Mushrooms. Like our oyster mushrooms, shiitake grow on trees and not in soil. We replicate this environment by growing them on Pine.
- Scientifically classified as Lentinula edodes, they are the second most commonly eaten mushroom in the world after the button mushroom.
- Shiitake mushrooms are native to East Asia, specifically China and Japan. They have been growing wild since prehistoric times, and have been cultivated since 1100 AD, during the Song Dynasty.
- It is said that around 200 AD, the 14th emperor of Japan, Emperor Chuai, was given Shiitake mushrooms by the Kyusuyu, the original aboriginals of Japan. In China, Shiitake mushrooms are called shaingug or hsiang ku, which means ‘fragrant mushroom’.
Nutrition Facts
Shiitake mushrooms offer a lot nutritionally, and they provide a wide range of nutrients.
The tables below show the nutritional values for both the fresh (cooked) and dried forms per 100 grams.
Calories and Macronutrients
| Nutrient | (Fresh) | (Dried) |
| Calories | 56 kcal | 296 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 14.4 g | 75.4 g |
| – Fibre | 2.1 g | 11.5 g |
| – Sugar | 3.6 g | 2.2 g |
| Fat | 0.2 g | 1.0 g |
| – Saturated Fat | 0.1 g | 0.2 g |
| – Monounsaturated Fat | 0.1 g | 0.3 g |
| – Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.0 g | 0.2 g |
| Protein | 1.6 g | 9.6 g |
As shown above, the dried mushrooms are much denser in calories and carbohydrate.
Fresh shiitake mushrooms contain 14.4 grams of carbohydrate, as well as small amounts of fat and protein.
Vitamins
| Vitamin | Fresh (% RDA) | Dried (% RDA) |
| Vitamin B5 | 36 % | 219 % |
| Riboflavin | 10 % | 75 % |
| Niacin | 7 % | 71 % |
| Vitamin B6 | 8 % | 48 % |
| Folate | 5 % | 41 % |
| Vitamin B1 | 2 % | 20 % |
| Vitamin C | 0 % | 6 % |
| Vitamin D | Varies | Varies |
Shiitake mushrooms supply a decent source of B vitamins.
The vitamin D content will depend on how much sun exposure the mushrooms had during their growth.
Minerals
| Mineral | Fresh (% RDA) | Dried (% RDA) |
| Copper | 45 % | 258 % |
| Selenium | 35 % | 66 % |
| Manganese | 10 % | 59 % |
| Zinc | 9 % | 51 % |
| Potassium | 3 % | 44 % |
| Magnesium | 3 % | 33 % |
| Phosphorus | 3 % | 29 % |
| Iron | 2 % | 10 % |
| Calcium | 0 % | 1 % |
Ohau Gourmet Mushrooms grow facts:
- We grow our delicious mushrooms indoors in hanging bags on organic pine sawdust,
- Locally produced from NZ products in Horowhenua
- No harmful chemicals used in production
- Highly sustainable production, very low water use and environmental impact