This wild delicacy from the grasslands crumbles at a single pinch, appears only after thunder and rain, and is as valuable as reishi mushroom

On the grasslands of northern China, every rainy season, after thunder and rain, a white wild delicacy appears. It is a wild mushroom with tender flesh, extremely delicious, and is called "the meat among vegetables." This wild delicacy generally grows on the grasslands north of Zhangjiakou in Hebei, is produced in large quantities during the rainy season, then transported to Zhangjiakou for processing, and then sold to various places, so it is called "koumo" (mouth mushroom). Koumo is also called white mushroom, and there are more than a dozen different varieties, such as qingtuizi, jizhuamo, xiangmo and others, all of which belong to koumo.

Koumo is rather delicate; after being picked, it crumbles with even a slight pinch. If its cap is broken during picking, it will quickly oxidize and change color, becoming unattractive. Therefore, wild koumo is often processed into by-products before it can be sold far and wide. Koumo is highly valuable, with a protein content as high as 35%, and it also contains 18 amino acids, including the 8 essential amino acids for the human body. Therefore, koumo has a natural umami flavor, and when cooked with other foods, no monosodium glutamate is needed.

In addition, koumo contains more than ten kinds of trace elements, such as germanium, which is relatively rare among fungi. Koumo also contains a high level of selenium, a substance considered capable of reducing cancer incidence, and has a selenium-supplementing effect with a very high absorption rate, making its value comparable to reishi mushroom. Therefore, the price of wild koumo ranks among the top among edible mushrooms. Generally, fresh ones sell for more than ten yuan per jin, and dried ones are even more expensive; about 100 yuan can buy around 100 grams.

In fact, besides the koumo produced on the grasslands, koumo also grows in the wild in many rural areas of China, only in relatively small amounts. In places on the grasslands where cattle and sheep graze, there is usually animal manure. After rain, this manure seeps into the ground, making the soil loose and fertile, which is very favorable for the growth of koumo, so large-scale "koumo rings" can be seen on the grasslands. After the Start of Autumn, koumo grows abundantly on the grasslands, and many people also go to the grasslands to pick koumo to increase their income.

Dear readers, have you ever eaten delicious koumo?