The Commoners
Starting right off, all of us can buy the ordinary Agaricus bisporus, the usual mushroom you can buy either fresh or canned. This is a "tamed" relative of the Meadow Agaric (Agaricus campestris) that has been cultivated for so many decades that a different species has evolved, one that has only 2-spored basidia rather than the usual 4. The canned mushrooms are extremely bland in comparison to the fresh which in turn are extremely bland compared to the wild A. campestris, but still both are convenient, they're always available, and can transform an ordinary dish into something special. Back in my school days when we had very little money, canned mushrooms and chopped onions transformed our drab, weekly hamburger steak into something much more palatable. But in France, even the name of this ordinary mushroom is elegant, champignons. They are grown indoors on elaborately prepared compost mixtures covered with casing soil. Temperature and humidity must be just right and growing them is subject to a lot of problems. Most major mushroom growing locations in the USA are located near race tracks or other areas where horses are plentiful. So now you know what the main ingredient of the compost is and why you should wash all of them well! You also can see another reason why I do not like raw mushrooms in salads.
Many supermarkets are also offering "Crimini" mushrooms which are the same except they are not white, but a tan color and some call them Agaricus brunnescens. They are reputed to have a more intense flavor. Wondering about this and their more expensive price (6 oz cost the same as 8 oz of the other), I conducted a scientific experiment. I sliced two of each kind of agaric in 1/4" slices and sauteed each batch separately in flavorless vegetable oil for exactly 5 min. As I was slicing them, I noticed that the Crimini were denser and more compact. Using only a little salt for seasoning, I and my faithful lab assistant, the BW, tasted each batch separately. The Crimini retained their denser texture in the mouth. The BW, who didn't know what she was supposed to taste found the Crimini decidedly less flavorful. I had to agree and thus neither of us could back up the "more intense flavor" claim made by the purveyors. I personally think the appeal is from the seller's point of view, i.e., being darker in color and any blotches that show up so easily in the all-white agarics aren't visible.
Portobellos are also commonly available. Actually they are simply extra large specimens of the store-bought Criminis. I have seen them whole, sliced, or dried. I can not detect any difference in taste from the "regulars". One of them might be 4-6" across so you would not need many to make a dozen. Ideal for stuffing it would seem.
Oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus ostreatus/sapidus complex) show up either fresh or dried in my local supermarket. The seller's big job is to convince the public these are worth buying and eating. When we have cooked wild specimens at foray tastings, they compare quite favorably with many other so-so species available. Cultivated mushroom kits that are easily obtained commercially from mail order houses. These firms offer in addition to many of the ones mentioned here, a veritable array of Oyster "species" in almost any color of the rainbow, pink, golden, lilac, etc. I have not tried any of these but assume their tastes are comparable to the usual species. A species available commercially is called Brick Caps (Naematoloma sublateritium)
The Orientals
Other fresh mushrooms that have become more common are Shiitakes. These Japanese mushrooms are comparatively easy to grow on old logs and rural American entrepreneurs are beginning to grow and market them around here. This is Lentinus edodes and it has a firmer texture than does your usual store-bought species. The stems are a bit tough and I recommend slicing the caps vertically into about 1/4-1/2 inch slices before cooking. They are great stir-fried with vegetables or pasta. If you find fresh ones for sale, they freeze well for later use, but more often they are available in the dried form. If you asked for Chinese or Japanese mushrooms in a specialty store, this is probably what you would get. Shiitakes offer a pronounced flavor and it doesn't take many to flavor a dish. The dried form will require re-hydrating by pouring just enough boiling water over them to cover them and waiting about 20 min. Always save any liquors for cooking down or adding to the dish or using elsewhere.
One of my favorites is the Chinese Forest Mushoom, sometimes called Wood Ears or Cloud Ears (Auricularia polytricha). This is another species that grows on trees, but it is available in our area only in the dried form. It is similar, but much larger than the species found wild in our area A. auricula or Judas Ear. After re-hydration the Chinese variety is much larger than our species and just a few small dried pieces will swell up to many times the original, dried size. This is a mushroom for people who like to experiment with textures. It is a bit on the gelatinous or tough side, but remove and discard the knotty stem and slice the mushrooms after re-hydration. I savor this species for its woody-smoky flavor and use them often in Chinese soups, stir fried vegetables, or for adding great flavor to meat stews. It is usually available in small packages and is more expensive than Shiitakes. On the other hand a little bit goes a long way after swelling. Incidentally, I recommend storing all dried mushrooms in the freezer just to keep the bugs out of them.
Another oriental mushroom you can find without too much trouble is canned Padi-straw Mushrooms, so named for the substrate (straw from rice paddies) on which it is grown in Asia. If you like moo-goo gai pan in Chinese restaurants or see very small closed umbrella mushrooms in a Chinese dish, that's it, Volvariella volvacea. For me, these guys don't have a whole lot of flavor, but I have never tasted fresh ones. If I use them at all, it is only for texture, preferring the flavor of fresh button A. bisporus instead. They can be very expensive--$3.60 at Kroger's for a 15 oz can, but imported brands found in Asian markets are around $1.80/can.
There are other Oriental varieties more common on the West Coast, e.g., Matsutakes (Tricholoma matsutake) and Enokitakese or Enoki (Flammulina velutipes. Enokis may sometimes be found in local supermarket stores. It is rather bland and is used mainly for appearance, texture or in salads.
The Europeans
Porcini - you should have no trouble finding these dried mushrooms in any Italian market. They are the exquisite Boletus edulis. I have found those imported from Italy as well as something resembling Porcini from Chile (and much cheaper!). If your Italian grocer buys in bulk, you will get a better price, but if they are pre-packaged in 1 or 2 oz packs, be prepared to spend an arm and a leg. The good news is that a little bit of these goes a long way after they are re-hydrated. This is the best mushroom, commonly available, money can buy.
Chanterelles are often found in dried form. Personally, I feel that the process of drying causes them to lose more flavor in this species than any other. Since these are not grown commercially (yet) and finding marketable quantities is hard (they get wormy fast!), expect to pay more for them. But if you can get them fresh, they are excellent. Even in a stew, they announce their presence with authority. European restaurants feature them in many dishes. French chefs call them Girolles while the Germanic/Slavic chefs call them Pfifferlings.
YOU CAN'T AFFORD THEM
Morels - yes I have even seen these in dried form a few times at some of the tonier markets I browse (but don't buy) in. Personally, I feel that breaking down and buying morels is an admission of failure as a mighty hunter and provider for the table. You will need a lot of bucks (about fifteen of them!) for a small 1 oz bag of what look like dried Morchella esculenta.
Speaking of cost, how much do some of these items set you back comparatively? A recent mushroom walk of my local supermarket turned up these prices:for fresh mushrooms:
Agarics $ .23/oz
Oysters $1.65/ oz
Crimini $.25/oz
Portobello $.75/oz
Shiitakes $.37/oz
I have found dried Shiitakes and Wood Ears in Chinese markets far cheaper, but the quality is sometimes poor, i.e., the Shiitakes may be small and I have seen Wood Ears about the size of our Judas Ears which makes me wonder if they were the real thing. Packages in Oriental markets often are not labeled or if they are, not in English.
Now supposing you compare the relative differences in these materials among some well known mushroom species:
Species Proteins Fat Sugars Chitin Minerals
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Porcini 4.0 .2 3.4 .7 .7
Agarics 4.3 .2 4.0 1.0 .6
Armillaria mellea 2.8 .5 1.8 3.8 1.1
Chanterelles 2.8 .2 4.1 1.3 1.1
Morels 3.4 .2 4.7 .7 .9
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bon appetit!
