Straw mushroom picture gallery: see what straw mushrooms look like

The straw mushroom gets its name because it often grows in damp, rotting rice straw. It is mainly produced in Guangdong and Guangxi, Fujian, Jiangxi, and Taiwan, China. Plump, thick-fleshed, short-stemmed and smooth, it tastes superb, which is why it is known as the "orchid mushroom" and the "delicious volva-foot mushroom."

The straw mushroom originated at Nanhua Temple in Shaoguan, Guangdong. China began cultivating it artificially 300 years ago, and in about the 1930s it was introduced to countries around the world by overseas Chinese. It is an important tropical and subtropical mushroom and the third most cultivated edible fungus in the world. China ranks first in the world in straw mushroom production, mainly distributed across South China.

The straw mushroom is nutritious and delicious. Every 100 g of fresh mushrooms contains 207.7 mg of vitamin C, 2.6 g of sugar, 2.68 g of crude protein, 2.24 g of fat, and 0.91 g of ash. Straw mushroom protein contains 18 amino acids, of which essential amino acids account for 40.47-44.47%. In addition, it also contains phosphorus, potassium, calcium and various other mineral elements.