Taiwan Today

The chairman of Formosa Commission Services, Lin Jin-qi, has issued a paper detailing his successes of growing an indigenous species of an enormous Taiwan mushroom. Lin says that the mushroom tastes slightly bitter when eaten raw at first, and then gradually turns sweet. Lin calls the mushroom "formosana-go" and is considering transferring the know-how of growing the species to farmers. Lin says that the formosana-go mushroom was mentioned in an encyclopedia on Taiwanese agriculture published during the Japanese occupation. The book's entry noted that the Japanese only heard talk of the mushroom by farmers but had never actually seen the specific type. The formosana-go mushroom is even larger than the jinfu mushroom, also known as the Tricholoma giganteum, which the Council of Agriculture has encouraged farmers to cultivate. The two are entirely different varieties. Lin returned to Taiwan from San Francisco five years ago. On a trip at the invitation of farmers in Nanzhuang Township of Miaoli to saunter through the local fields and forests, they spotted several enormous mushrooms under an Acacia tree. The cap of the mushroom was larger than two hands put together. Local farmers expressed their concern that the mushroom could be poisonous. Lin used a toxic agent to test the mushroom, and found that the mushroom contained a food protein reaction and thus could be eaten. Lin later on brought the mushrooms' spores back to a laboratory and divided them into two genders. He paired the spores, creating hyphae and then covered them in saw dust and had them suspended in the air. After an asexual reproductive phase, the fungus sprouts began to grow in about half a month. The mushroom tastes much better than shitaki mushrooms in stir-fries as well as when cooked with chicken soup. The formosana-go mushroom is not picky about its environment. It does not need an air-conditioned facility or other special equipment. Lin Jin-qi is considering transferring the know-how of growing a small variety of the mushroom to farmers, saying that consumers are more likely to accept a mushroom of a smaller size.