Greetings! As mushrooms, we're fungi, belonging to a distinct food kingdom separate from fruits and veggies. Found in many shapes and sizes worldwide, we boast spongy, tender flesh that readily absorbs flavours in various dishes.
The white cultivated mushroom is the most commonly sold in Australia. We are sold as buttons, cups and flats. We have an umbrella-like cap head, white on top and pinkish-brown underneath. Our underside consists of soft gills that look like wheel spokes radiating from the centre. Our caps open and become flatter as we age and our gills darken.
Additional types of cultivated mushrooms (that means mushrooms grown on a special farm or building) are available, and Asian mushrooms are either cultivated in Australia or imported. More details on these varieties will be provided later.
We're always in season and are available all year round.
The term 'mushroom' has origins from various sources. The Anglo-Saxons referred to us as 'muscheron', while in Old French, we were known as 'mouseron', denoting a soft, spongy texture.
72% of Australian households purchased mushrooms, buying an average of 269g per shopping trip
Cultivated white mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) are sold by size. The sizes available are buttons, cups and flats.
Buttons
Small, round and tightly closed, we’re a very young white cultivated mushroom. We have a mild taste and hold our shape when cooked. We are great eaten raw or cooked
Cups
We're the most popular mushroom in Australia. We are medium-sized and have a creamy white cap and our gills are starting to show.
Flats
We're the biggest-sized mushroom in the white mushroom family. We are flat and open, showing off the gills underneath. We have a rich mushroom flavour. Mature mushrooms in which all our gills are seen, and our head is fully open.
Oyster Mushroom
We are a delicate Asian mushroom that has become popular in Australia. We’re soft and fan-shaped with prominent gills. We can come in a variety of colours, including pink and lemon, with creamy to grey being the most common.
Shiitake Mushrooms
We have a meaty brown cap and a spongy, chewy texture that soaks up flavours. We have a distinct earthy flavour. We’re mostly used in Asian cooking.
Enoki Mushroom
We have creamy-white slender stems and grow in clusters. We’re slightly crisp and mild-flavoured. We must be cooked quickly to keep our crunch.
Shimeji Mushroom
We look similar to oyster mushrooms; however, we grow in clumps which are usually separated before cooking. We are a creamy-grey colour and have a slightly firm texture with a mild flavour.
Swiss Browns
Like white cultivated mushrooms we look similar in shape and size, too, but are light brown. We have a firmer texture than our white-cultivated cousins. We’re rich in flavour.
King Trumpet Mushrooms
Sometimes called King Brown, we think we look like we’re from a fairy tale. We have broad, creamy-white long stems and a light brown cap. We have a meaty texture and good flavour.
Portobello mushrooms
We’re fully grown and mature Swiss brown mushrooms featuring a tan-brown coloured cap with visible gills. we are renowned for our rich flavour and firm flesh, just ideal for grilling and roasting.
Other cultivated mushrooms
Some other cultivated mushrooms available in Australia are black fungi, white fungi and straw mushrooms. Field-collected mushrooms, such as pine mushrooms and morels, are picked in the wild when they appear in the fields and forests. only an expert should pick mushrooms in the wild, as some wild mushrooms are poisonous.
We are fungi, not a vegetable and are sometimes called a superfood.
We provide most of the B-group vitamins, especially riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid and biotin.
We're a source of dietary fibre and we're a good source of potassium, zinc and selenium.
We’re low in kilojoules and have virtually no fat.
If you place any store-bought mushrooms in the sun for just 15 minutes, they will ‘supercharge’ with vitamin D.
100g of mushrooms contain 35-100 kJ/100g, depending on the variety.
We grow in the dark from spores which are organisms found in all fungus. There are up to 1 billion spores in every one of us.
We're grown in specially-designed modern buildings where growing conditions are perfect and totally controlled. We are not plants so we do not need soil or sunlight to grow. We grow in compost which is a mixture of organic materials, like leaves, grass and animal manure that is rich in nutrients. The compost is heat-treated to kill any unwanted germs.
The mushroom grower adds the mushroom spores to the compost. It’s then covered with peat moss. The spores spread through the compost and form mushrooms. The mushrooms grow in stages and flushes. The first flush has the biggest and best quality mushrooms. There can be up to 5 flushes before the compost is cleaned and prepared for the next harvest. We are all harvested by hand.
Select those of us which are dry, firm and clean. Shape and colour should be characteristic of the variety. Avoid any that are slimy, withered or damaged.
Store us in a paper or cloth bag in your fridge. It’s best to remove them from the container if you buy us packaging. We are best used within 3 days.
Of the many thousands of mushroom varieties only a few of us are edible, and we've been harvested and eaten as far back as the earliest records. Egyptian Pharaohs considered us such a delicacy that ordinary people were forbidden to eat us.
Commercial mushroom growing was a much more recent trend when the French began to grow field mushrooms in caves in the 17th century. In fact, the first article on mushroom production was written by a Frenchman, Monsieur Tourefort, in 1701. From France, we spread to England and from England finally to Australia.
In Australia, commercial production started in the 1930s using disused railway tunnels – a far cry from today's modern facilities. Asian mushrooms have become more available in Australia with the increase in Asian migrants.
Simply wipe us over with a damp paper towel.
The whole mushroom is edible. Most of us only require a small trim and we’re ready to eat or cook.
We’re so versatile and good to pan-fry, roast, barbecue and grill. White cultivated and Swiss Brown mushrooms are great eaten raw.
We’re terrific added to soups, risotto and pasta sauces.
Add us chopped to bolognese sauce and burger mixtures
Use pan-fried or barbecued flat mushrooms instead of meat on your favourite burger.
Thread button mushroom onto kebabs with chicken, or meat or other vegetables.
Serve us pan-fried for breakfast with your favourite eggs and bacon.
Try some of these quick and easy mushroom recipes from Sydney Markets;
https://www.freshforkids.com.au/recipe/honey-sesame-zucchini-mushroom-chicken-skewers.html