Tea Tree Mushrooms

The tea tree mushroom (Cyclocybe aegerita) is an Asian edible mushroom that grows on deciduous trees such as poplar and elder and is cultivated on a large scale in China as “Cha Shu Gu” ( ). For sale, the mushrooms are usually dried whole, which turns the long, thin stems hard and brittle. In the process they develop a strong, slightly nutty aroma.

In German the mushroom is known as “Südlicher Ackerling” or “Südlicher Schüppling”, in Italy it is called “Pioppino”. In Japan it goes by “Yanagi Matsutake” ( ), and English-language shops sometimes label it “Black Poplar Mushroom”. Botanically you will also come across the older names Agrocybe aegerita and Agrocybe cylindracea.

In Asian supermarkets you will find them almost exclusively dried, usually in bags carrying the English or the Chinese name. Before using them, soak them in warm water for about 20 to 30 minutes and cut off the hard stem ends. You can reuse the soaking water as a savory stock, just as you would with Shiitake.

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