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Nameko is the second most popular mushroom in Japan after Shiitake. In the wild, it grows on the trunks of dead beech trees. It is also cultivated.

Nameko Mushrooms have round caps that will be from 3/4 of an inch to 2 inches wide (2 to 5 cm.) Their colour will range from orangey to amber. The stem is buff coloured.

The mushrooms have a firm texture. When cooked, they go "gelatinous" or "viscous", as, for instance, Okra does. In fact, they go downright slimy. For this reason, they are mostly used in soups, where they act as a natural thickener.

Outside Japan, they are available canned, though they will be expensive.

Cooking Tips
The gelatinous goo in the cans is the juice from the mushrooms. You use both the mushroom and the liquid in soups.

Also called:

See Also:

Okra

Other entries for:

Mushrooms
Agaricus Mushrooms, Bay Boletus Mushrooms, Brick Top Mushrooms, Cauliflower Mushrooms, Cloud Ear Mushrooms, Enoki Mushrooms, Hen-of-The-Woods Mushrooms, Hoshi Shiitake, Mushroom Gills, Nameko Mushrooms, Oyster Mushrooms, Shiitake Mushrooms, Shimeji Mushrooms, Snow Mushrooms, Stipe, Straw Mushrooms, Truffles, Wild Mushrooms, Wood Ear Mushrooms

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Vegetables
Agave, Artichokes, Asparagus, Brassica Family, Canned Vegetables, Cardoons, Celery, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Frozen Vegetables, Garlic, Gourds, Horseradish Tree, Leafy Vegetables, Lotus, Mixed Vegetables, Pak Wan, Peas, Peppers, Root Vegetables, Sago Palm, Seaweed, Spinach, Sprouts, Squash, Tomatoes, Viscous Vegetables