Shiitake mushrooms are one of the most popular mushrooms worldwide due to their health benefits and rich, woodsy, umami (savory) flavor, sometimes described as ‘meaty’. Native to East Asia and Russia, and widely consumed in foods and traditional medicines, shiitake mushrooms grow on the decaying wood ofdeciduous trees.The name Shiitake comes from Japan and combines the words shii,the hardwood tree the mushrooms commonly grew on, and take, the Japanese word for mushroom.

Rich in antioxidant polysaccharides like beta-glucans (soluble dietary fibers) and lentinans, shiitake mushrooms also contain eritadenine, terpenoids, sterols, lipids,amino acids, linoleic acid (an essential fatty acid), and various vitamins and minerals.*