Breakfast of Champignons

Dried (left), fresh (right), mushroom salt (middle)

Over the past year your humble blogger has spent many hours in the kitchen trying out various ingredients and cooking methods.

Mushrooms have proved to be a can't-miss flavor enhancer, infusing different cuisines with complexity and heft. Apparently many home chefs have likewise discovered fungal joy.

Mushroom consumption has taken off:

(WSJ illustration)

According to projections from the firm Transparency Market Research, the global mushroom market is expected to reach $69.3 billion by the end of 2024, up from $34.1 billion in 2015. Some of this growth is being driven by consumers in China, but the biggest share of the market is still in the U.S. and Canada, where mushrooms are suddenly associated with “wellness.”...

Mushrooms may not be as high in protein as meat (although they do contain 1-3% protein by weight, depending on the species), but they are rich in B vitamins, high in fiber and, perhaps more important, so rich in meaty flavors that you hardly miss meat...

Why do mushrooms taste so meaty? The short answer is that, like meat, they are rich in the umami flavor compounds that impart a savory or brothy taste.

In simple Chinese dishes such as chicken asparagus or beef broccoli I've found that replacing half the meat with mushrooms is not only flavorful but reduces the requirement for sodium-filled soy or oyster sauce.

As we strive to reduce our carbon footprint, mushrooms should be eaten on more than a spore-adic basis because it's the morel thing to do.