FreshPoint

Description:

With a delicious earthy taste, the Matsutake and its relatives are among the most sought after and prized mushrooms in the world. In the Orient, the Matsutake or pine mushroom symbolizes strength and vigor and is used in many ceremonial gatherings. It is a large, thick-fleshed, white mushroom whose cap is two to nine inches across and has a thick cotton-like partial veil. The surface is smooth and dry, the stem sturdy and broad. But it is not the flavor or the size for which this unusual fungus is best known, but its amazing aroma which some say is an acquired scent and has been described as 8y, clean, complex, spicy and even malodorous. Hold a Matsutake to your nose, and you can smell hints of the pine forest in which it grew. In Japan and Okinawa, this treasured delicacy is threatened with extinction, as are the pine forests in those areas, but Matsutakes from the Pacific Northwest are actually preferred by aficionados thanks to their strong fragrance. Michigan also has a Matsutake crop, but their season is quite short and the crop is considered less desirable because they are less fragrant. Spicy but not peppery, Matsutakes have a magnificent penetrating unique flavor unlike anything you’ ve ever tasted.