The Nibble: Mushroom Types For Cooking

A mushroom crêpe stuffed with button, crimini, maitake, oyster and portabella mushrooms. Photo courtesy of MushroomInfo.com. The recipe is on the website.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORs

CAITLIN BARRETT is a member of THE NIBBLE editorial staff. She wishes that she could make a joke here about being a “fun guy.”

KAREN HOCHMAN is Editorial Director of THE NIBBLE.

November 2005

Last Updated April 2026

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Vegetables

Mushroom Types For Cooking

Page 4: Mushroom Glossary D To K

This is Page 4 of a six-page article. Click on the black links below to visit other pages. See all of our delicious food glossaries.

Wild & Specialty Mushroom Glossary D To K

My Name	Get To Know Me
EGG MUSHROOM See chanterelle mushroom.
ENOKI MUSHROOM These long and slender mushrooms are almost too pretty to eat. They have a mild flavor, often called fruity, and can be used raw instead of sprouts for crunch in a sandwich; or, toss them into a salad (trim the spongy base) or stir fry. We like to tie them into a bouquet with a chive and use them as a garnish, or float a few delicate mushrooms atop soups. They are cultivated year-round. Other names include enokitake, enokidake, nametake, snow puff mushroom, velvet foot mushroom and winter mushroom.	Enoki mushrooms. Photo by Kelly Cline \| IST.
ERINGI or ERYNGI MUSHROOM See king eryngi, below.
FOREST NAMEKO or CINNAMON CAP MUSHROOM This handsome, long-stemmed mushroom is great in light soups like miso or wonton soup. They have a firm texture and slight crunch, with mushroomy earthiness. Nameko is often found pickled, for use in sauces and noodle dishes. They are available October through February.	Forest nameko mushrooms. Photo courtesy of Gourmet Mushrooms, Inc.
GIROLE MUSHROOM See chanterelle mushroom.
HEDGEHOG or PIED DE MOUTON MUSHROOM This mushroom gets its name from the small toothlike projections underneath its cap, rather than gills. (Other people see it differently: pied de mouton means sheep’s leg.) It is similar to the chanterelle in color and flavor; the cap is often tawny with a pale stem; the flesh is firm and dense with a very buttery flavor.	Hedgehog mushrooms. Photo courtesy of MarxFoods.com.
HEN OF THE WOODS OR MAITAKE MUSHROOM The word “maitake” is Japanese for “dancing”; it is rumored that these mushrooms got their name because the discovery of maitake mushrooms was something to dance about. You can see why it is called “hen of the woods” in English: the ruffled, or feathery parts of the mushroom (called fronds or caps) resemble the fluffed-up tail feathers of a hen. With a flavor that is bold and similar to a portobello, it is excellent baked, braised, or sautéed with butter. Not to be confused with chicken of the woods, a different species with a texture similar to chicken.	Hen of the woods or maitake mushroom. Photo courtesy of Bahasajapen.com.
HORN OF PLENTY MUSHROOM See trumpet royale mushroom.
JAPANESE BLACK MUSHROOM See shiitake mushroom.
KING BOLETES MUSHROOM See cep mushroom.
KING ERYNGI or KING OYSTER or KING TRUMPET MUSHROOM Now cultivated indoors, this impressive-looking mushroom can grow to four inches in height. It has a firm and meaty texture and a mild and elegant flavor. Its scientific name is Pleurotus eryngii; the mushroom is also known as argonane, boletus of the steppes, bouligoule, cardarello, cardoncello, champignon de garrigue, French horn mushroom, and pleorote du panicaut and trumpet royale.	Photo of organic king trumpet mushrooms by Claire Freierman \| THE NIBBLE.