Shiitake, the most widely eaten mushroom in Japan available year-round, have two peaks of flavor: from March to May and again from September to November. The mushrooms are native to East and Southeast Asia, but in the early Edo Period (1603-1867), a charcoal maker named Genbei Matsushita in modern-day Oita Prefecture is said to have come up with the method of inoculating raw shii tree logs with others already colonized by wild shiitake spores. This helped increase the growth rate of the mushrooms in Japan, and to this day, Oita is still the No. 1 producer of shiitake in the country.
Shiitake are now well-known worldwide for their distinct pungency and strong umami. Try to choose mushrooms with large, firm, thick caps that curl downward at the edges. For coloration, the tops should be dark brown and the undersides a pale yellow to cream.
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