Mushroom Types

Beech Mushroom

Available in brown and white, the beech mushroom grows in bunches of tiny and delicate white stems 1 to 2 inches high, topped with small light brown or cream-colored caps. The flesh of this mushroom is crisp in texture, providing a crunchy yet juicy meat. Its flavor is slightly nutty and sometimes herb-flavored when cooked. Also called Clamshell, Buna Shimeji and Hon Shimeji Mushroom.

Black Chanterelle or Black Trumpet Mushroom

A very flavorful mushroom with a trumpet-shaped cap. See Trumpet Royal Mushroom.

Black Forest Mushroom

See Shiitake Mushroom.

Brown Mushroom

See Cremini Mushroom.

Cauliflower Mushroom

Resembling a cauliflower floret, this mushroom is very flavorful, but a bit chewy. It is best fried, or cooked in soups or stews.

Cep, Cèpe, Porcini or King Boletes Mushroom

Robust, meaty cèpes/porcinis can be “normal” size, two inches in diameter, or can grow to a giant eight-inch diameter, when the cap will expand from umbrella-shaped to nearly flat. The color ranges from yellow brown to dark red brown, with a firm, smooth, moist texture. Ancient Greeks and Romans prized these stubby mushrooms with their earthy and somewhat nutty flavor. Today they are enjoyed as culinary gems all over the world. Prevalent in French cuisine, cèpes are added to tarts and buttery dishes. They are prevalent in Italian sauces, pastas and risottos. Even the liquid from soaking the dried porcinis is a delicious ingredient in soups and sauces. They are available wild June through November, but are also cultivated year-round. The heartiest, most savory of dried mushrooms, they are essential in deep-flavored sauces. Their meaty texture and great depth of flavor enable them to be grilled like a steak.

Chanterelle Mushroom or Golden or Yellow Chanterelle

There are several varieties of chanterelle; the one generally thought of as the chanterelle is the golden or yellow chanterelle. The most delicate and refined of wild mushrooms, chanterelles have notes of apricot in both their scent and the taste—and their color, as well; in addition to the apricot fruitiness there is a typical mushroom earthiness. They can range from pale orange to a golden apricot color, and can also be recognized by their trumpet-like caps. Chanterelles are tender yet firm and their wild flavors will shine even when they are used with many ingredients, and they are exquisite when breaded and fried. They are available fresh eight months a year, from the summer through February (and dried year round). See also Black Chanterelle and Yellowfoot Chanterelle Mushroom.

Cremini or Crimini or Brown Mushroom

Creminis are similar in size and shape to the white button mushroom, though tan to brown in color and far meatier and earthier in taste with a firmer texture (they taste similar to button mushrooms). Creminis are actually portobello mushrooms that have been harvested while they are young, while the veil still covers the gill surface. They are excellent uncooked, as crudités or sliced into a salad; and are good stuffed, breaded and fried, sautéed, marinated, and in sauces, stocks and soups. They’re an especially good choice for kabobs. Creminis cook more firmly and with less shrinkage than classic whites; and are a great complement to any meat or vegetable dish. They are cultivated year round.

Cultivated Specialty Mushrooms

With advances in food technology, numerous wild mushroom species can now be cultivated indoors year-round, instead of being limited to their natural growing seasons a few months out of the year. While these are often presented as “wild” mushrooms, they do not grow in the wild; the term “wild” is accurate only when applied to mushrooms gathered (foraged‚ wild in the woods. However, cultivated mushrooms are a blessing to all who enjoy specialty mushrooms such as beech, enoki, oyster, portabella and shiitake year-round.

Brown beech mushrooms are one of
several formerly wild varieties that are
now grown indoors year-round, in an
organic matrix. Photo of Golden
Gourmet Mushrooms by Claire
Freierman | THE NIBBLE.

Cultivated White Mushrooms or Button Mushroom

Classic whites, the old reliables, can always be found at the supermarket, and when there aren’t any fresh ones there are always (gasp) the canned variety. They have a mild taste and gain flavor as they cook. If you want to make marinated mushrooms, stuffed mushrooms, or slice mushrooms into a salad, they are a cost-effective solution. Sautéed with butter and garlic, they are always a treat. They are cultivated year round.