Introduction
Shiitake mushrooms (Lentinula edodes) are grown around the globe. Their rich texture, smoky flavor, and nutritious components have made them the second most commonly cultivated edible mushroom in the world and captured our taste buds. Originally cultivated by the Japanese, the name shiitake is composed of shii, for the Japanese chinquapin (Castanopsis cuspidate), the species of choice for growing shiitake mushrooms in Japan, and take meaning mushroom.