White Button Mushroom

Also known asButton Mushroom · Champignon · Agaricus bisporus · 蘑菇

Name: White button mushroom (Agaricus bisporus) — the most commonly eaten mushroom in the world, with a smooth, round, white cap and a mild flavour. It is the young stage of the same species as cremini and portobello mushrooms.

Description

The cultivated mushroom has been grown in France since the 17th century, when growers near Paris discovered they could produce mushrooms in caves and quarries, and it was long called the “champignon de Paris.” Today it is grown industrially in dark, climate-controlled sheds in the United States, China, the Netherlands and Poland, on composted straw and manure.

White buttons are the youngest and mildest form, with a delicate, slightly earthy flavour and a high water content. They are used in all kinds of dishes, from salads and pizzas to soups, sauces and stir-fries, and are the most affordable mushroom.

Main nutrition value

White button mushrooms provide B vitamins (riboflavin, niacin), selenium, copper and potassium, and a little fibre, for very few calories.

How best to be consumed

White button mushrooms are versatile, and best browned.

1. Wipe clean with a damp cloth, or rinse quickly and pat dry.
2. Sauté in a hot, dry pan without crowding until the water cooks off and they brown.
3. Slice raw into salads, or cook into soups, pasta sauces, omelettes, pizzas and stir-fries.
4. Stuff and bake the larger buttons.
5. Store in a paper bag in the fridge, and use within 5 days.

Overconsumption could cause…

White button mushrooms are safe when cooked.

1. Allergic reactions or digestive upset in some people, and stomach discomfort from the fibre (chitin) and sugars in mushrooms in large servings.
2. Possible contamination of raw cultivated mushrooms with agaritine, which cooking reduces.
3. Slimy, spoiled mushrooms if kept too long or in plastic.
4. Adding lots of butter, cream and salt in rich dishes.

GroupsMushroomsFungi (mushrooms)Low fatLow sodiumRich in seleniumFresh

Related foodsMaitake MushroomMorel MushroomChanterelle MushroomOyster MushroomShiitake MushroomEnoki Mushroom

Wikipedia — Agaricus bisporus, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agaricus_bisporus