Matsutake Mushrooms: How to Prepare Matsutake Mushrooms

Matsutake mushrooms (Tricholoma matsutake or Tricholoma magnivelare), also known as pine mushrooms, are a type of edible mycorrhizal fungi. As mycorrhizal mushrooms, these wild mushrooms have a symbiotic relationship with the trees they grow on, drawing nutrients from the trees and providing them with additional nutrients and water from the soil.

Matsutakes are large mushrooms with a thick white stem and a light brown cap. Matsutake mushrooms are particularly popular in Japanese cuisine for their strong, sweet, and spicy aroma and meaty texture. Top-quality matsutake mushrooms can cost as much as a thousand dollars per pound, making them prized mushrooms that are sometimes given as gifts in Japan.

Matsutake mushrooms grow in Japan, Korea, and the Pacific Northwest in North America, namely Northern California and Oregon. These mushrooms commonly grow at the root of pine trees and under coniferous fir trees and hardwoods, like tanoaks and madrone. The Japanese matsutake, in particular, grows in the red pine forests of Japan.

Matsutake mushrooms grow under fallen leaf beds on the forest floors and cannot be farmed, making them one of the most expensive mushrooms in the world because of their particular ecology. The destruction of their natural forest habitat is endangering matsutake mushrooms. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has placed the matsutake mushroom on its list of threatened species.

Matsutake mushrooms have an aroma similar to cinnamon and a unique flavor that is spicy, pungent, and piney because of the mushrooms’ natural habitat. Chefs typically prepare matsutake mushrooms simply so as to accentuate their strong flavor. Like truffle mushrooms, porcini mushrooms, and other gourmet mushrooms, matsutake mushrooms can be served as a garnish or a side dish.

You can consume matsutake mushrooms raw or cook them. Make sure you clean the mushrooms well and scrub the cap before eating or cooking. When cooking, keep the preparation simple to highlight the flavor and smell of the mushrooms. You can lightly sauté the mushrooms with olive oil and salt.

In Japanese cuisine, matsutake mushrooms are usually sliced thin and grilled with shoyu and mirin. These mushrooms are also typically served with soup, such as sukiyaki, or in matsutake gohan, a rice dish where the mushrooms simmer in dashi, mirin, rice wine, and soy sauce.

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