Why These Rare Mushrooms Can Go For $1,000 Per Pound

While not as well known as shiitake or chanterelle mushrooms, the matsutake mushroom isn't one you should discount. In fact, you're very unlikely to find them at a discount at your local market. More than that, you might be hard-pressed to find matsutake at a market outside of they're harvesting season in Japan. And when they're in season, they can fetch around $1,000 per pound. But why do these fabulous fungi cost so much? Well, for one thing, they can only grow in specific environments, and they cannot be cultivated or farmed the way that shiitake mushrooms are. Rather, they are gathered from forested areas. Additionally, the mushrooms only grow during the fall, so their harvesting time is brief. This means that matsutakes are relatively rare, hence their high price. 

Then again, their price cannot simply be attributed to scarcity. The high price is also tied to the high demand for these mushrooms. Though they grow in Eastern Asia, Northern Europe, and also in some parts of the United States, matsutakes are particularly sought after in Japan, where they hold cultural significance. For many people in the country, they are a harbinger of the fall season. Matsutakes can be found in local markets during the season, and many buy the mushroom to prepare as a seasonal luxury. 

Matsutakes aren't just prized for their scarcity, though. Rather, it's largely the mushroom's unique aroma and flavor that draw diners in. While matsutakes may look, on the surface, like just another mushroom type, their smell and taste truly distinguish them from their fungi counterparts. While some mushrooms taste like chicken, matsutakes have a pungent, spicy, and pine-like scent that makes them unique. In terms of flavor, the esteemed shrooms can be spicy and earthy, with echoes of that piney, almost woodsy taste.

The mushrooms' short season, lasting from September through November, is relatively brief and falls in line with the autumn season. In Japan at least, matsutakes are often seen as a harbinger for the fall. And don't think that these expensive fungi are tossed into just any stew — doing so would be a major mushroom mistake. For the most part, matsutake mushrooms are prepared simply in order to let the natural flavor and aroma shine. Often, they are served simply grilled and lightly seasoned, added to egg custards, or mixed into light soups. Unlike similarly pricy black or white truffles, matsutakes take the starring role in whatever dish they are featured in. If you come across some at the market or a restaurant, don't pass up the chance to revel in their distinctive forest flavor.