Eryngii

Other Names

King oyster, king trumpet, French horn mushroom

Latin Name

Pleurotus eryngii

Usually Found In

South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, China, Italy, the USA, the Netherlands, Germany, Spain

Season

Autumn, but available all year

Nicknamed the king oyster, the eryngii is just that – a long, mighty thick mushroom, looking like but far sturdier than a cep, with a solid stem that turns into a slightly gilled top, reminiscent of an oyster mushroom. Growing wild from the Mediterranean to Asia, the king oyster is quite different to its saprophytic cousin, the oyster, as it grows as a parasitic fungi on the roots of plants. Cultivated in Asia in worldwide commercial volumes since the early 1990s, eryngii’s popularity is gaining worldwide, as it proves to be a very versatile ingredient in the kitchen. Due to their similarity to ceps in appearance, if not flavour, eryngii are a favourite with chefs, particularly when the bulk of other wild mushrooms are out of season, and are a consistent ingredient in Asian restaurants.