The etiquette rules on how to serve and eat reishi mushrooms. Tips to be the ideal host or the perfect guest.
What reishi mushroom etiquette is
Reishi etiquette is the set of rules to properly serve and eat reishi mushrooms. Such rules help avoid behaviors that disrespect your hosts or guests or make you look unpolite.
If you are hosting, follow the etiquette to serve reishi mushrooms to your guests appropriately.
As a guest, respect the etiquette rules to properly eat reishi mushrooms at the dining table and avoid offending your hosts.
What you should know about reishi
The reishi is an edible mushroom. Reishi is native to East Asia and it is renowned for its use in traditional Chinese medicine. Its color ranges from dark orange and red to dark brown. Reishi mushrooms are edible but very tough in texture, and bitter and woody in flavor. Hence, they are mostly used for their health benefits.
Etiquette rules to serve and eat reishi mushrooms
1) How to store reishi mushrooms
Fresh reishi mushrooms deteriorate quickly. It is best to consume them within a few days or dry them.
Store fresh reishi in the fridge. They can last up to a week. Do not store them in a plastic container or wrapped in plastic.
Store dry reishi at room temperature. Place them in a cool and dry place, far from sources of heat and direct light. Ideally, keep them in a glass jar or container.
2) How to clean reishi mushrooms
To clean reishi mushrooms, wash them in cold running water for about one minute. Gently remove any dirt. Finally, place them on a towel or on kitchen paper to dry.
Do not soak reishi, as water risks making the texture spongy and facilitating the creation of mold.
3) How to cook reishi mushrooms
Reishi mushrooms are woody and very tough to chew. Thus, even if they are edible, it is almost impossible to eat them even after cooking. Only the very young reishi mushrooms can be eaten on their own after cooking. Older mushrooms are usually too hard.
The most common method to prepare reishi mushrooms is to make tea or to dry them and grind them into powder. Then, reishi powder can be added to smoothies or similar preparations.
To make tea, boil fresh reishi mushrooms for about half an hour. Dry reishi mushrooms need to boil between one and two hours. Before boiling reishi mushrooms, slice them thin to facilitate the extraction of the medicinal elements.
Mushrooms are among the most disliked foods. Thus, before serving reishi mushrooms to your guests, it is considerate to ask whether some guests cannot eat them.
4) How to serve & present reishi mushrooms
Reishi mushrooms are a very unusual food for a social gathering. Reishi tea or smoothie can be served to provide your guests with a novel experience. Present reishi tea with sugar, sweeteners, or honey.
5) Food and wine to pair reishi with
Reishi has a very bitter and tree bark-like flavor. Pair it with sweet flavors to compensate for it.
6) How to eat reishi mushrooms
When reishi mushrooms are served on their own, eat them with a fork. Eat them in small bites as they are very tough to chew.
Drink reishi tea in small sips, as you would drink a medicinal beverage.
Reishi etiquette: the worst mistakes
Avoid the worst reishi etiquette mistakes.
- 4/10. Serving reishi mushrooms on their own.
Additional information for properly serving reishi
How many calories per serving?
Counting calories is important to stay healthy and plan a menu correctly.
Reishi mushroom tea contains almost no calories.
How to buy the best reishi mushrooms
A crucial factor in reishi etiquette is serving your guests the best product possible.
Choose the best
Reishi mushrooms are usually not available in commerce. It is possible to buy them from specialized vendors. By most accounts, the Japanese red variety is the highest-quality reishi in commerce.
Resources
- Reishi Mushroom: Purported Benefits, Side Effects & More: mskcc.org