Ingredient Spotlight: Maitake Mushrooms
For the longest time, mushrooms such as reishi, maitake, and shiitake have been used in diets meant to promote longevity and overall well-being. In Ancient China and Japan, such mushrooms were reserved for royalty. The 5,300-year-old Ice Man, found in 1991 on the border of Austria and Italy, carried three kinds of such mushrooms, in some sort of primitive medicinal kit.
Mushrooms’ genetic makeup is closer to ours and other animals than it is to plants, even though they have sometimes been referred to as the “third kingdom”. According to the book Maitake Mushroom and D-Fraction,
We share approximately 30 percent of our DNA with mushrooms. While plants absorb carbon dioxide and liberate oxygen, mushrooms mimic human respiration by capturing oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide.
Maitake’s scientific name grifola frondosa is derived from the common name of an Italian mushroom, which itself was named after the mythical half-lion, half-eagle beast, the griffin. It is also known as “hen of the woods” and is indigenous to Northeastern Japan. It has a rippled appearance, no caps, and grows in clusters at the base of oak trees. According to one Japanese legend, this characteristic conveys an image of dancing butterflies, hence the name maitake or “dancing mushroom”.
It is the only edible mushroom in the polyporaceae (monkey’s bench) family — or rather, the only “soft-enough-to-be-edible” species. It can grow as large as twenty inches at the base, and one cluster can weigh as much as 100 pounds. Because of its size and reported health benefits, some call it “the king of mushrooms”.
Though maitake mushrooms are often touted today in popular literature as playing a key role in the battle against cancer, the American Cancer Society cautiously states that “There is no scientific evidence to support these claims at present, although a few studies are underway.”. (The information presented at the ACS website is extensive and highly-recommended reading for anyone wanting to look into the health benefits of maitake.) Another useful reference is Medline’s page on Maitake Mushrooms, which includes an analysis of past studies, including the one most mentioned in anti-cancer literature: the 1997 study done in Japan, in which tumor-implanted mice were given different medicinal mushrooms, and which supposedly showed that the maitake was more successful in inhibiting the tumors: as much as 86% more than the others.
Despite this, naturopaths and even some traditional doctors of medicine now prescribe maitake mushrooms not just for cancer but for a host of other illnesses as well, such as hypertension, arthritis, hepatitis, diabetes, chronic fatigue syndrome and HIV-related infections. Not surprisingly, it has also been recommended as a weight loss supplement. According to naturopaths like Linda Page, studies indicate that it inhibits tumor growth and cancer metastasis, can work in synergy with chemotherapy, has an anti-inflammatory action on cells, enhances liver vitality, produces beta-glucans (a form of natural soluble dietary fiber found in foods) and helps with cellular immunity. Long list, that! Being a food product, it has the additional advantage of being easily and immediately absorbed into the body.
These mushrooms have been artificially cultivated in Japan since the 1980s, and here in the US and China more recently. Here in the US, promoters of anti-cancer suggest its consumption, along with known therapeutic foods such as green tea, fermented foods like sauerkraut, green-lipped mussels, astragalus, and umeboshi plums.
Maitake is sold in some health food stores here, in liquid extract, tablet, and capsule form.
Chef Ming Tsai certainly loves it:
Health benefits aside, maitakes have an amazing taste. The rich, woodsy flavor and the firm, meaty texture of the flesh make them the standout ingredient of any dish. Maitakes are on their way to becoming one of the staples of the Asian diet (along with soy, fish and tea) that are believed to confer good health and longevity. Chef Ming Tsai has begun importing fresh maitakes through the Yukiguni Maitake Corporation of America for use in his restaurant and just recently made maitake products available on his website. The items are Yukiguni dried maitakes, which have an unlimited shelf life and Yukiguni maitake tea, an earthy flavored brew containing a mixture of 100% dried maitakes and other Asian herbs. - from Ming’s Pantry
Here’s a recipe for Chicken and Maitake Stir-fry from Ming Tsai’s site.
More recipes:
- Maitake Mushroom Omelet on a Bed of Wilted Spinach
- Japanese Wild Mushrooms with Soba
- From The Forager Press
- From Mitobi Enterprises, which also sells mushrooms
- another Ming Tsai recipe, Chawan Mushi
- my daughter’s personal favorite, not an Asian recipe, but oh-so-goood!
If you can’t find maitake near you, it is available online from Galaxy Rare Mushrooms Farm or from Yukiguni Maitake.
Tags: anti-cancer-diets, hen-of-the-woods, king-of-mushrooms, maitake-mushroomsRelated Stories
POSTED IN: Healthy Eating with Asian Food, Ingredient Spotlight, Vegetarian / Vegan Dishes : Asian, Where To Buy Asian Food
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