Some may have you believe that the world’s most expensive mushroom is the white truffle. While that rare fungus is truly expensive, it lacks one important quality—it’s not a freakin’ mushroom. Now that we’ve cleared that up, Japan’s matsutake mushroom can take its place as the most expensive mushroom in the world.
The matsutake, or mattake, mushroom is expensive because of its rarity. While its historical prevalence meant it was nearly synonymous with autumn in Japan, the introduction of an insect that kills the trees under which the mushroom grows has caused a dramatic decrease in the number of matsutake mushrooms. A method for farming the matsutake has yet to be developed, which means the lack of trees from which to harvest these mushrooms naturally is a serious problem for the species.
The world’s most expensive mushroom can be purchased for around $1,000 per pound, though prices for specific mushrooms may reach up to $2,000 per pound. It is known more for its spiced, fruity aroma than its flavor and is a cherished gift in the Japanese corporate world.
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
I believe psychadelic mushrooms are more expensive than these.
My friend, you would be wrong. Drugs are cheap.
I was going to say the same until I saw the price of these…. If you ever watch Iron Chef, this is basically the only mushroom they use.
Psychy mushrooms are cheap……. Better talk to your dealer Dennis!
i`m malaysian and born to be a chef. when i was in malaysia, there is no have a fresh truffle sale in market. i just always using the truffle oil.
but now, i`m working in qatar as a chef in main palace that the all ingredients comes from the truely fresh market! and what i wanna say here, i agree with u that truffle a most expensive mushroom in the world ( for this moment) it`s about QR2000,00 per500gm (only 3 pcs)!!
again. the article said that truffles are not even mushrooms.
I don’t doubt that matsutake mushrooms are expensive in Japan. But I have never heard matsi’s referred to as Mattake.
The only reference I could find on the internet for Mattake was dated 1904 in the Exhibition of the Empire of Japan, Official Catalog, which was presented by the Imperial Japanese Commission to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition as a requirement in participating in the Exposition. I think that this reference to Mattake was a typo since “matsu-take” was printed elsewhere in the text. Matsutake are also known here in the U.S. as pine mushrooms – and by harvesters of this species as just matsi’s. In mushroom reference books the common name for those found in the U.S. is American Matsutake (Tricholoma magnivelare).
At one time, just a few years ago, harvesters, here in the U.S, were paid over $600 per pound by buyers, who then shipped them to Japanese markets. Now (2009 season) harvesters are getting anywhere from $10 to $20 USD per pound. I know this because I picked Matsutake mushrooms in 2009. The American matsutake market has dried as Japanese buyers shifted their focus to China which has, according to Japanese buyers, a higher quality Matsutake.
If I’m wrong about this, I will eat my Mattake’s.
can the seven dwarfts of snowwhite shed under it????(even a thousand dwarfts…)
This is incorrect. The most expensive mushroom is Ophiocordyceps sinensis, or Caterpillar Mushroom. It is a cordycepts fungi that has risen in value over the past ten years, reaching 60,000 yuan per kilo, or about $4,000 per pound. It is valued as a traditional herbal medicine in both Chinese and Tibetan cultures.
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ophiocordyceps_sinen…