Chinese black mushroom

noun

variants or Chinese mushroom

: shiitake

The classic Chinese rendition, known as a spring roll, is long and thin, wrapped in a lacy, delicate skin, stuffed with a blend of shredded pork, shrimp, Chinese black mushrooms and bean sprouts, then deep-fried.

—Nina Simonds, New York Times, 7 May 1986

Fresh shiitakes are just becoming widely available in the United States. We already know it in its dried form as the dried "Chinese mushroom," a brownish black opulent mushroom, with a large cap and a heady, earthy taste.

—Suzanne Hamlin, Miami Herald, 22 Nov. 1982

Word History

First Known Use

1883, in the meaning defined above

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