Cloud ear fungus
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2009) |
| Cloud ear fungus | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Cloud ear fungus | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Fungi |
| Division: | Basidiomycota |
| Class: | Heterobasidiomycetes |
| Order: | Auriculariales |
| Family: | Auriculariaceae |
| Genus: | Auricularia |
| Species: | A. polytricha |
| Binomial name | |
| Auricularia polytricha (Mont.) Sacc. |
|
Cloud ear fungus (Auricularia polytricha, syn. Hirneola polytricha) is an edible jelly fungus. It is gray-brown in color and often used in Asian cooking. In Chinese, it is known as 云耳 (pinyin: yún ěr, lit. "cloud ear"), 毛木耳 (pinyin: máo mù ěr, lit. "hairy wood ear"), or 木耳 (pinyin: mù ěr, lit. "wood ear" or "tree ear"), and in Japanese it is called arage kikurage (キクラゲ, lit. "tree jellyfish"). It is also known as black fungus, black Chinese fungus (or mushroom), wood ear fungus, wood fungus, ear fungus, or tree ear fungus, an allusion to its rubbery ear-shaped growth. In Hawaii, they are known as pepeiao which means ear.[1]
The fungus grows in frilly masses on dead wood. It is a dark brown color but somewhat translucent. It is usually sold dried and needs to be soaked before use. While almost tasteless, it is prized for its slightly crunchy texture and potential medicinal properties, including its newly discovered anticoagulant properties. Of note, the slight crunchiness persists despite most cooking processes.
Auricularia auricula-judae, a closely related species, is also used in Asian cooking.
Snow fungus, another edible fungus which is white in color, is a separate species, Tremella fuciformis.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- Black Fungus
- Chinese Cuisine - Cloud Ears and Wood Ears
- Nutritional Analysis at FoodsDatabase
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Auricularia auricula-judae |
