Refuse to buy contraband goods: how to choose Lentinus edodes? Remember these tricks so that you can buy good domestic mushrooms.

Before the Dragon Boat Festival and the Lunar New year, it is the peak season for smuggling Lentinus edodes from the mainland, because there is a large seasonal demand for Lentinus edodes in China, and it is profitable to smuggle Lentinus edodes. It is a common and useful way to deceive consumers by fully mixing mainland Lentinus edodes with domestic Lentinus edodes before selling them, which greatly reduces costs and can be fully camouflaged. Customs often catch smuggled shiitake mushrooms, and it is really difficult to distinguish between smuggled shiitake mushrooms and domestic shiitake mushrooms. Experts say that there are obvious differences in aroma, and this is probably the only way for consumers to blindly test their origin.

At the end of last month, the customs officer of the Ministry of Finance, Kaohsiung, seized a 40-foot imported container containing 2.2 metric tons of dried Lentinus edodes and 8.1 metric tons of dried shredded Lentinus edodes, with a market value estimated at NT $10 million. Customs said that before the Dragon Boat Festival, there is a great demand for materials for wrapping zongzi, and Lentinus edodes is a necessary ingredient. Lentinus edodes covet the low price of Lentinus edodes in the mainland, and unscrupulous people often smuggle and sell them for profit. Take a closer look at the Lentinus edodes seized by the Customs. The appearance is very similar to that of domestic Lentinus edodes, and it is difficult to distinguish.

The handle of Lentinus edodes smuggled from the mainland seized by the Customs has been removed and the surface of the umbrella is also wrinkled. (photo / Customs Department)

Taichung and Nantou are the main producing areas of shiitake mushrooms in Taiwan, and the best way for ordinary consumers to tell is to buy from trusted sources, such as buying from mushroom farmers they know, and buying peasant association brands if they don't know mushroom farmers. New Society Peasants' Association and Yuchi Rural Peasants' Association all have Lentinus edodes products. Wu Jinchi, director of the Tourism Department of the New Community Farmers' Association, explained their cooperation with mushroom farmers. There are 325 mushroom farmers in the New Community Farmers' Association. Lentinus edodes must be produced in a mode that meets the production curriculum vitae and pass the SGS test after harvest. Wu Jinchi believes that the production resume is the first step that consumers can trust. Then there is the guarantee of the reputation of the peasant association.

Wu Jinchi said: if it is Lentinus edodes in bulk, if you want to tell whether Lentinus edodes are domestic or smuggled goods from the mainland, you can first look at the shape and then smell the fragrance. The stalk of Lentinus edodes smuggled in the mainland may have been cut off, and if it is not cut off, it will be longer than that of domestic Lentinus edodes. The umbrella noodles of Lentinus edodes vary because of different drying methods. Mainland Lentinus edodes is relatively smooth, while Taiwan Lentinus edodes has obvious wrinkles. On the other hand, the fragrance is easy to smell. Taiwan's Lentinus edodes is fragrant, while the mainland's smuggled Lentinus edodes smells musty.

Perhaps some consumers have found that some domestic shiitake mushrooms do not smell good enough. Wu Jinchi says that they are different varieties. Lentinus edodes varieties are roughly divided into fresh Lentinus edodes and dried Lentinus edodes. The variety specially used to make dried Lentinus edodes is "Heizao". The aroma is sufficient after drying, but sometimes the output of fresh Lentinus edodes is too much, and the industry will also choose to make dried Lentinus edodes. Because of different varieties, the fragrance of dried Lentinus edodes is naturally poor.

The umbrella of domestic Lentinus edodes has obvious wrinkles and short stalks.