Mushroom Types

Cultivated White and Brown Mushrooms

	The white Agaricus bisporus mushroom, discovered in 1932 by Lewis F Lambert in Pennsylvania, accounts for 95% sales in Britain. It is picked at four stages (grades) of its growing cycle, these are button, closed cup, open cup and large flat.
	Button A Button mushroom, not picked, will double in size every twenty-four hours. It develops into a closed cup mushroom.
	Closed Cup The most popular grade is the closed cup mushroom, which accounts for about 65% volume within the 95% market. This mushroom will grow on to become an open cup mushroom. As a mushroom increases in size and maturity, its flavour develops.
	Open Cup Open cup mushrooms have a partly broken veil and pinkish gills visible under the cap, and will grow on to become a large flat mushroom with the brown gills visible. The mushrooms still retain their cup shape and range in size from 40mm to 60mm or more.
	Large Flat Large flat mushrooms have completely broken veils, darker brown gills and flatter caps. The mushrooms are 'T' shaped. They range in size from 60mm to 120mm or more.
	Brown Also called Brown Cap, Chestnut, Champignon Marron, and Portabello – the brown Agaricus brunnescens mushroom is an increasing popular alternative to its white counterpart. They are sold in four sizes. As button they are called Crimini or Portabellini and as closed cup they are called Brown Cap or Chestnut. The larger ones, with the gills showing underneath, are called open cup or breakfast mushrooms which are 40mm to 60mm in size and the large flat mushrooms are called Portabello or Flat Chestnut and are 60mm to 100mm or more. In America, the large portabellos are used to hold the whole meal, rather like a pizza base.

Cultivated Exotic Mushrooms

	Oyster This delicate variety is available in brown, grey, pink and yellow.
	Shiitake Shiitake mushrooms are the reverse in colour to the white mushroom - they have dark brown caps and white gills instead of white caps and brown gills.
	Enoki These are crisp white mushrooms with long thin stems and tiny white caps.
	Buna-shimeji Buna-shimeji mushrooms are sold in clusters. Each mushroom on the cluster is very small with a dark cap, light gills and long stalk.

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