What is Silver Ear Mushroom?

Silver ear mushroom refers to dried silver ear mushroom, which is fresh silver ear mushroom that has been dried and packaged. When you soak the dried mushroom in water for about 20-30 minutes, it fully reverts to its fresh form with the same texture, making dried mushrooms more convenient than fresh ones in terms of storage and cooking. Fresh white silver ear mushrooms turn yellow when dried, but they return to their white, fresh state when placed in water, as you can see in the photo above. Here is a brief introduction to the silver ear mushroom.

Silver Ear Mushroom (White Wood Ear Mushroom)

Silver ear mushroom is a type of wood ear mushroom that is white, hence it is called white wood ear mushroom. Wood ear mushrooms are named for their resemblance to the human ear when growing on trees. "Mok-i" (木耳) is a Sino-Korean term where 'Mok' (木) means tree and 'i' (耳) means ear; "Eun-i" (銀耳) means 'Eun' (銀) (silver) and 'i' (耳) (ear). Wood ear mushrooms come in various colors, including black, yellow, pinkish-red, and white.

In the West, because its appearance resembles white jelly, it is also called the "white jelly mushroom." Due to its white color, its nicknames, in addition to the white wood ear mentioned earlier, include white wood ear, "baek-mok-i," white wood ear mushroom, and "seol-i" (雪耳).

Wood ear mushroom varieties are broadly classified into white wood ear, black wood ear, and red wood ear, and there are a total of 28 sub-varieties. Among these 28 types, the most prized is the white wood ear mushroom. The mushroom we commonly see in japchae is known as black wood ear mushroom because of its dark color when dried. In the market, black wood ear mushroom is usually simply referred to as wood ear mushroom.

White Wood Ear, Black Wood Ear, and Rock Ear

Another mushroom with the suffix "i" (耳=ear) is "seok-i" (石耳), which means "ear that grows on rocks." While white and black wood ear mushrooms grow on trees, the rock ear grows on rocks. All three types resemble ears when attached to trees or rocks, and they feel like human earlobes when touched. However, once dried, this resemblance is less apparent. The photo below shows dried white wood ear, wood ear (black wood ear), and rock ear mushrooms.

Silver ear mushroom is a specialty product of China, with its main production areas being southern regions such as Sichuan, Yunnan, Fujian, Zhejiang, Guangdong, and Hainan, though it is also found in Shaanxi, Gansu, Inner Mongolia, and Tibet. Gutian County in Fujian Province is the primary production hub. Natural silver ear mushrooms are rare even within China, so with increasing demand, cultivation has become active recently. Since silver ear mushrooms are not found in the wild in Korea, most of them are imported. A very small number of farmers in Korea produce them, but the volume is so low that the price is very high.

Silver ear mushroom is very famous in soup or porridge dishes prepared with various ingredients, and it has been used for health purposes in addition to food since ancient times.

Characteristics of Silver Ear Mushroom

As you can see in the photo above, fresh silver ear mushroom is jelly-like, soft, and elastic. When dried, its weight drops to less than 1/10 of its original state. However, when dried silver ear mushroom is placed in water, it absorbs it, increasing its weight by more than 10 times as it expands back to its original state. A key feature of the silver ear mushroom is its high water absorption capacity. Due to this moisture-adsorbing property, silver ear mushrooms can retain moisture for a long time, and moisturizing cosmetics utilizing these properties have been developed and sold.

If you consume dried silver ear mushroom in powder or pill form, it may cause a bloated feeling as the powder absorbs moisture and expands inside the body.

Historical Figures Who Enjoyed Silver Ear Mushroom

Considering that Empress Dowager Lü of the Han Dynasty (2,200 years ago), Yang Guifei of the Tang Dynasty, and Empress Dowager Cixi of the late Qing Dynasty enjoyed silver ear mushroom, you can get an idea of why it is so famous in China.

Components of Silver Ear Mushroom

Here is the general analysis table of silver ear mushroom components published in the Taiwan Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, which we consider the most precise data available. "Dry matter basis" refers to the content ratio calculated excluding moisture.

General analysis table of silver ear mushroom components (Taiwan Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry - 2002, dry matter basis, moisture 11.63%)

As you can see from the table above, a notable characteristic of silver ear mushroom is its high content of insoluble dietary fiber. Here is a brief introduction to some of the important, unique, and trace components contained in silver ear mushroom.

The supplier of this product is Natural Farming Association (CEO: Kim Ju-il) located in Gyeongsan, Gyeongbuk, and the producers are residents of Taebaeksan. Established in 1997, the Natural Farming Association, which cultivates, processes, and sells mushrooms, succeeded in the first domestic artificial cultivation of wood ear mushrooms in 2007. They obtained Korean patents (No. 10-0806484) and Japanese patents (No. 4624432) for their mushroom freeze-drying method in 2008 and 2010, and began exporting mushroom products to Japan and the Asian region in 2012.

The Natural Farming Association uses its patented techniques to produce Oxygen Shiitake Mushrooms, which are dried mushrooms that retain properties almost identical to fresh mushrooms. Oxygen Shiitake Mushrooms are special in that they maintain the softness, aroma, and taste of fresh mushrooms while weighing less and having a longer shelf life.

The Natural Farming Association produces and processes shiitake, wood ear, oyster, button, king oyster, and enoki mushrooms, and supplies a total of 48 items to Nonghyup Mart, Lotte Mart, Hanaro Mart, Lotte Super, and Lotte Shopping. Additionally, the Natural Farming Association imports raw snow fungus from overseas or purchases rock tripe mushrooms from other domestic regions to package and distribute them domestically.

2 bags = 1,000g (500g x 2 bags)

Total mushroom count in 2 bags = approx. 30 pieces

Weight per mushroom = 30-40g

Not applicable under the law for this food product.

Import declaration number: 42776-26-030921M

Not applicable under the law for this food product.

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