Black Fungus Information

The term black fungus is used to describe an edible fungus used in Chinese medicine and cuisine, Auricularia polytricha. Other names for the black fungus include wood ear, mouse ear, cloud ear, muk nge, jelly mushroom and tree ear.

Expert Insight's History

• According to Paul Stamets in his book Growing Gourmet and Medicinal Mushrooms (2000) the first mushroom cultivated in China was the black fungus, starting around 600 BC.

Features

• Black fungus is a fast growing fungus that is dark brown and shaped like an ear. It thickens and mottles in color with age, and can be found growing on trees such as kapok and mango trees.

Cuisine

• Black fungus is used in Chinese cuisine for its crispness and color, and does not have much of a flavor.

  Black fungus is sold both dry and fresh. When dry it is soaked in water before being cooked.

Nutrition

• Five grams of dried black fungus contains 13 calories, four percent manganese, four percent selenium, three percent copper, two percent niacin and two percent iron.

Medicine

• Black fungus is used in Chinese Medicine to improve circulation, breathing ability and well-being.

  According to the January 2009 edition of European Food Research and Technology, black fungus has anti-tumor properties.