Auricularia auricula-judae (syn.
Auricularia auricula,
Hirneola auricula-judae) is a
fungusA fungus is any member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. The Fungi are classified as a kingdom that is separate from plants, animals and bacteria...
, commonly known as
Judas's ear fungus or
Jew's Ear, the name from which it derives the "judae" in its scientific name, or as the
jelly ear fungus. It was said that
JudasJudas Iscariot, "Yehuda" ' was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original Apostles of Jesus. Among the twelve, he was apparently designated to keep account of the "money bag" Judas Iscariot, "Yehuda" ' was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original Apostles of...
hanged himself on an elder tree, which is the origin of the name.
The term 'Jew's Meat' was a deprecatory term used for all fungi in the Middle Ages
Snow fungusTremella fuciformis, commonly known as Snow fungus , white fungus or silver tree-ear fungus, is a type of jelly fungus that is used in Chinese cuisine....
, another edible fungus which is white in color, is a separate species,
Tremella fuciformis.
This
jelly fungusThe class Heterobasidiomycetes or jelly fungi is a paraphyletic group of several fungal orders: Tremellales, Auriculariales, Dacrymycetales. These fungi are so named because their foliose to irregularly branched fruiting body is, or appears to be, the consistency of jelly. Actually, many are...
is conspicuously ear shaped, ranging from purple to dark brown or black in color with a rubbery texture, and most often found on dead
elderSambucus is a genus of between 5 and 30 species of shrubs or small trees in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. It was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified due to genetic evidence...
trees but also on
elmElm leaves are alternate, with simple, single- or, most commonly, doubly-serrate margins, usually asymmetric at the base and acuminate at the apex. The genus is hermaphroditic, having perfect flowers which, being wind-pollinated, are apetalous. The fruit is a round wind-dispersed samara...
s.
This species is used often in
Asian cookingAsian cuisine styles can be broken down into several regional styles that have roots in the peoples and cultures of those regions. The major types can be roughly defined as East Asian with its origins in Imperial China and now encompassing modern Japan and the Korean peninsula; Southeast Asian...
.
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Auricularia auricula-judae (syn.
Auricularia auricula,
Hirneola auricula-judae) is a
fungusA fungus is any member of a large group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. The Fungi are classified as a kingdom that is separate from plants, animals and bacteria...
, commonly known as
Judas's ear fungus or
Jew's Ear, the name from which it derives the "judae" in its scientific name, or as the
jelly ear fungus. It was said that
JudasJudas Iscariot, "Yehuda" ' was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original Apostles of Jesus. Among the twelve, he was apparently designated to keep account of the "money bag" Judas Iscariot, "Yehuda" ' was, according to the New Testament, one of the twelve original Apostles of...
hanged himself on an elder tree, which is the origin of the name.
The term 'Jew's Meat' was a deprecatory term used for all fungi in the Middle Ages
Snow fungusTremella fuciformis, commonly known as Snow fungus , white fungus or silver tree-ear fungus, is a type of jelly fungus that is used in Chinese cuisine....
, another edible fungus which is white in color, is a separate species,
Tremella fuciformis.
Description
This
jelly fungusThe class Heterobasidiomycetes or jelly fungi is a paraphyletic group of several fungal orders: Tremellales, Auriculariales, Dacrymycetales. These fungi are so named because their foliose to irregularly branched fruiting body is, or appears to be, the consistency of jelly. Actually, many are...
is conspicuously ear shaped, ranging from purple to dark brown or black in color with a rubbery texture, and most often found on dead
elderSambucus is a genus of between 5 and 30 species of shrubs or small trees in the moschatel family, Adoxaceae. It was formerly placed in the honeysuckle family, Caprifoliaceae, but was reclassified due to genetic evidence...
trees but also on
elmElm leaves are alternate, with simple, single- or, most commonly, doubly-serrate margins, usually asymmetric at the base and acuminate at the apex. The genus is hermaphroditic, having perfect flowers which, being wind-pollinated, are apetalous. The fruit is a round wind-dispersed samara...
s.
Cooking
This species is used often in
Asian cookingAsian cuisine styles can be broken down into several regional styles that have roots in the peoples and cultures of those regions. The major types can be roughly defined as East Asian with its origins in Imperial China and now encompassing modern Japan and the Korean peninsula; Southeast Asian...
. In
ChineseChinese or the Sinitic language is a language family consisting of languages mutually unintelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the two branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, it is called 木耳 (pinyin:
mù ěr, lit. "wood ear" or "tree ear") or 黑木耳 (pinyin:
hēi mù ěr, lit. "black wood ear"), and in Japanese it is called
kikurage (キクラゲ, lit. "tree-jellyfish"), and in Vietnamese it is called
nấm tai mèo (cat's ear fungus) or
mộc nhĩ.
Auricularia polytrichaCloud ear fungus is an edible jelly fungus. It is gray-brown in color and often used in Asian cooking. In Chinese, it is known as 云耳 , 毛木耳 , or 木耳 Cloud ear fungus (Auricularia polytricha, syn. Hirneola polytricha) is an edible jelly fungus. It is gray-brown in color and often used in Asian...
(cloud ear fungus), a closely related species, is also used in Asian cooking.
One recipe is to collect it while still soft, wash it thoroughly and cut it into thin slices. The prepared slices should be stewed in stock or milk for around three-quarters of an hour, and then served with plenty of pepper. The result is crispy and sultry like seaweed.
Homeopathic medicine
Jelly ear is known as a medicinal mushroom, and herbalists use the mushroom as a
poulticeA poultice, also called cataplasm, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is spread on cloth over the skin to treat an aching, inflamed, or painful part of the body...
to treat inflammations of the eyes.
See also
- Medicinal mushrooms
Many species of medicinal mushrooms have been used in folk medicine for thousands of years. The use of medicinal mushrooms in folk medicine, is best documented in the East. Medicinal mushrooms are now the subject of study for many ethnobotanists and medical researchers...
- Medicinal Mushrooms: Their Therapeutic Properties and Current Medical Usage with Special Emphasis on Cancer Treatments by Cancer Research UK (the American equivalent to the US National Cancer Institute), 2001.http://sci.cancerresearchuk.org/labs/med_mush/med_mush.html
External links
See also
- Cloud ear fungus
Cloud ear fungus is an edible jelly fungus. It is gray-brown in color and often used in Asian cooking. In Chinese, it is known as 云耳 , 毛木耳 , or 木耳 Cloud ear fungus (Auricularia polytricha, syn. Hirneola polytricha) is an edible jelly fungus. It is gray-brown in color and often used in Asian...
- Edible mushrooms
- Snow fungus
Tremella fuciformis, commonly known as Snow fungus , white fungus or silver tree-ear fungus, is a type of jelly fungus that is used in Chinese cuisine....
- Wood ear
Wood ear, or 木耳 , can refer to two different closely related species of edible fungus used primarily in Asian cuisine; these are commonly sold in Asian markets shredded and dried....