Tuesday's Cupful: Enoki Mushrooms

A long stem fungi that turns heads
Look for these skinny and lengthy mushrooms at your Asian supermarket or gourmet foods store. Enoki mushrooms resemble knitting-needles. In fact, they’re also known as golden needle mushrooms and are members of the Flammulina velutipes family. The wild variety, has a brown color and broad cap, grows naturally on the stumps of the Chinese Huckberry trees, which are called Enoki in Japanese. Meanwhile, the cultivated variety looks completely different with a white or cream color, long stems, and small caps. Many consumers prefer the cultivated variety with its stronger and sweeter flavor. Asian chefs add these mushrooms to soups and salads.