Tree Ears

I could never figure out why the Chinese are so fond of tree ears until I began to cook with them and realized that despite their lack of flavor they have an intriguing, squeaky, semicrunchy texture unlike any food I’ve ever tasted.

Tree ears aren’t really mushrooms but dark leafy growths that attach themselves to fallen trees and rotting wood. They’re usually sold dried in cellophane bags. Small tree ears—which look like irregular black flakes—are the best even if not the most impressive to look at.