![](/sites/default/files/styles/medium_large_16_9_/public/2024/08/20/recipe-mushroom-barley.jpg?itok=5HDoSBkH)
While mushrooms may appear to be a type of plant, they are classified in the fungi kingdom. Mushrooms are the “fruiting body” of a fungus. While we are most aware of the mushrooms we see at the market, another important type of fungus is yeast.
As mushrooms would appear suddenly after a rain, some ancient peoples thought they were caused by lightning strikes. Mushrooms have been collected as well as cultivated by humans for thousands of years. Large-scale cultivation may have begun in China during the Han dynasty (206 B.C.E. to 9 C.E.).
Not all mushrooms are edible. Of the edible mushrooms, the most common cultivated variety is the mild-tasting, white button mushroom, Agaricus bisporus. More recently, many more varieties of this mushroom species have become available including the dark brown crimini, the larger, firmer textured portabella, and the tiny, white-capped enoki. Other types of mushrooms can be purchased dried, such as porcini and chantarelles.
Store fresh mushrooms in the refrigerator in a paper bag for no more than two or three days. They only need to be cleaned with a damp paper towel. Mushrooms are high in niacin and a good source of riboflavin.
Beat the chill winds by making the mushroom soup recipe below.
Makes about 12 cups