Squeeze that happiness tight! Dried shitake mushrooms

Oita boasts the highest quality and production volumes for shitake mushrooms across Japan.

Cultivated on the logs of sawtooth oak timber, the shitake mushrooms exhibit a full-bodied flavor and texture packed with umami and nutritional values.

Securing water in the Kunisaki Peninsula has been a challenge since ancient times. To complement the rice crop harvest cycles, shitake farming was practiced ardently by taking advantage of the region’s abundance of sawtooth oak forests. Shitake mushrooms are best cultivated on sawtooth oak stumps known as hodagi, which give fleshy and high-quality products. After the mushrooms are harvested, the hodagi decompose, returning to the mineral-rich earth to become a water-retaining layer for the mountain.

Rainwater retained by soil turns into underground water filled with organic matter and nutrient salts, which is then used for improving water quality of regional irrigation ponds, as well as agricultural irrigation and flood control.

The aforementioned integrated system which utilizes local resources was highly regarded by the Food and Agriculture Organization, and the Kunisaki Peninsula Usa Integrated Forestry, Agriculture and Fisheries System was recognized as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) in May 2013. Through utilizing this system, the region delivers its prized, 100% Kunisaki-grown and processed dried shitake mushrooms that are safe and of premium quality.

DONKO

Oita boasts the highest quality and production volumes of shiitake mushrooms across Japan. Locally-produced shitake mushrooms are distinguished by the fact that they are mainly grown on the logs of sawtooth oak. Donko is a type of fleshy shitake that grows slowly over the span of colder seasons, and is a suitable ingredient for simmered and nabe dishes (such as sukiyaki and oden). Dried shitake mushrooms is a rich source of vitamin D, an element that increases dietary fiber and calcium absorption.

KOSHIN

Oita boasts the highest quality and production volumes of shitake mushrooms across Japan. Locally-produced shitake mushrooms are distinguished by the fact that they are mainly grown on the logs of sawtooth oak. Donko is a type of fleshy shitake that grows slowly over the span of colder seasons, and is a suitable ingredient for simmered and nabe dishes (such as sukiyaki and oden). Dried shitake mushrooms is a rich source of vitamin D, an element that increases dietary fiber and calcium absorption.