Shiitake Lentinula Greek Mushroom
Cost per kilo 100,00 €

The shiitake is an edible mushroom native to East Asia, which is cultivated and consumed in many Asian countries. It has long been considered a symbol of longevity in Asia because of its health promoting properties and it has been extensively used by the Chinese for more than 6,000 years. More recently, their rich, smokey flavor has endeared them to American and European taste buds. 

Like other mushrooms, these specialty mushrooms are as mysteriously unique as they are delicious. While often thought of as vegetable and prepared like one, mushrooms are actually a fungus, a special type of living organism that has no roots, leaves, flowers or seeds. 

The mushrooms Japanese name shiitake is composed of shii, the tree chinquapin, which provides the dead logs on which it is typically cultivated and take, which in japanese translates as mushroom. Other common names given to the mushroom are “sawtooth oak mushroom”, “black forest mushroom”, “black mushroom”, golden oak mushroom” or “oak mushroom”. 

Shiitake mushrooms have grown wild since prehistoric times. Their therapeutic value has been prized in Asian counties, where they originated, for thousands of years. They play a critical role in Asian medicinal traditions and were noted in some of the first books on herbal medicine written thousands of years ago. 

In cooking, shiitake mushrooms can be served in many ways. Fresh and dried shiitake have many uses in the cuisines of East Asia. In Japan, they are served into miso soup, used as the basis for a kind of vegetable dashi and as an ingredient in many streamed and simmered dishes. In Chinise cuisine, they are often sauteed in vegetable dishes and in Thailand they may be served fried or steamed. Shiitake are also dried and sold as preserved food. They are rehydrated by soaking in water before using. 

Like most fungi, shiitake mushrooms offer a unique variety of phytonutrients, including their well-known beta-glucan polysaccharides. A cholesterol-lowering nutrient called eritadenine is found in shiitake, as well as the recently discovered amino acid-like nutrient, ergothioneine. Shiitake mushrooms also offer a wide variety of conventional nutrients. They are an excellent source of copper, pantothenic acid and selenium. They are a very good source of vitamin B2 and zinc. Additionally they are a good cource of manganese, vitamin B6, niacin, choline, dietary fiber, vitamin D and folate. 

Medicinal Applications:

•       Shiitake mushrooms appear able to enhance immune system's function in both directions, giving it a boost when needed and cutting back on its activity when needed. 

•       Shiitake mushrooms offers great cardiovascular support, lowering cholesterol levels, protecting against atherosclerosis and provide great antioxidant support.

•       Shiitake mushrooms are found to offer anti-cancer benefits, especially with respect to prevention of prostate cancer, breast cancer, and colon cancer.

•       Numerous components included in shiitake mushrooms are found to help block tumor growth, sometimes by triggering programmed cell death in the cancer cells.

•       The special combination of antioxidants found in shiitake mushrooms together with their highly flexible support for immune system function make them a natural candidate for providing us with protection from a variety of problems invloving oxidative stress and immune function.

This is to inform you that we are not doctors. What is written above has a simple character and in no way replaces medical application. Always consult your doctor about your health issues.

nutrition facts