Everything about Pleurotus Ostreatus totally explained
The
Oyster mushroom, or
Pleurotus ostreatus, is a common mushroom prized for its edibility. Long
cultivated in Asia, it's now cultivated around the world for food. It is related to the similarly cultivated "
king oyster mushroom". Oyster mushrooms can also be used industrially for
mycoremediation purposes.
Name
Both the Latin and common name refer to the shape of the fruiting body. The latin
pleurotus (sideways) refers to the sideways-growth of the stem with respect to the cap while the latin
ostreatus (and the English common name,
oyster) refers to the shape of the cap which resembles the bi-valve of the same name. Many also believe that the name is fitting due to the flavor resemblance to oysters.
In Chinese, they're called
píng gū (; literally "flat mushroom").
The oyster is one of the more commonly sought wild mushrooms, though it can also be cultivated on straw and other media. It often has the scent of anise due to the presence of
benzaldehyde.
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Description
- Cap: 5-25 cm broad, fan or oyster-shaped; Natural specimens range from white to gray or tan to dark-brown; margin inrolled when young, smooth and often somewhat lobed or wavy. Flesh white, firm, varies in thickness due to stipe arrangement.
- Gills: Gills are white to cream, descend stalk if present. If so, stipe off-center with lateral attachment to wood.
- Spores: The spores form a white to lilac-gray print on dark media.
- Stipe: Often absent. When present it's short and thick.
- Taste: Mild
- Odor: Often has a mild scent of anise.
There are no poisonous lookalikes that grow in North America, however
Omphalotus nidiformis is a toxic lookalike that's found in Australia and Japan.
Habitat
The Oyster Mushroom is wide-spread in temperate and subtropical forests throughout the world. It is a
saprotroph that acts as a primary decomposer on wood.
Edible uses
The oyster mushroom is frequently used in
Japanese and
Chinese cookery as a
delicacy: it's frequently served either on its own, although sometimes stuffed, as well as in
stir-fry recipes with
soy sauce.
Additional Information
Oyster mushrooms are a natural source of
statin drugs. Studies have shown that they typically contain 0.4% to 2.7% statins on a dry weight basis.
Z. Naturforsch Study. A number of studies on lab animals have shown that adding Pleurotus to the diet can reduce cholesterol under some conditions.
The oyster mushroom is also one of the few known carnivorous mushrooms. Its mycelia can kill and digest
nematodes. This is believed to be a way to obtain
nitrogen.
Oyster mushrooms contain a small amount of
arabitol which can cause gastrointestinal distress in some people. Arabitol is a sugar alcohol similar to xylitol, manitol and sorbitol; these sugar alcohols are widely used food additives and can also have laxative effectives in susceptible individuals.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Pleurotus Ostreatus'.
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