Wood ear mushrooms are a common sight on the dining tables of ordinary people. They are delicious, rich in protein, and hailed as the "meat among the vegetables." However, the quality of black fungus sold on the market varies greatly, and adulteration is a serious problem. To buy good wood ear mushrooms, you need to master a few tricks, which can be summarized as "pinch with your hand, taste with your mouth, and soak in water."
1. First, pinch with your hand
Typically, pure black fungus contains less moisture, so it is easy to crush with a pinch. After releasing the pinch, the cap expands well and is springy. However, soaked black fungus contains more moisture and is not easily crushed.
2. Next, taste with your mouth
Good wood ear mushrooms have a pure taste, not only without any strange odors, but also with a fresh aroma. Inferior wood ear mushrooms are different; their aroma is undetectable, and they have a strange taste. Without even considering whether they are toxic or harmful, they are simply far from being "delicious."
3. You can also soak in water
Inferior black fungus that has been soaked in ink will have a foul odor, which can still be smelled upon careful inspection. Additionally, soaking in water is an essential step when preparing wood ear mushrooms. If you find that the soaking water turns black, do not eat it. Black fungus does not lose its color; if it does, it means it has been dyed with ink or other pigments.
Nowadays, many small vendors use cheap earth ears to pass them off as black fungus. Earth ears have lower nutritional value and a poorer taste than black fungus, but they look very similar. Specifically, earth ears are larger in size, while black fungus is smaller; earth ears are thicker, while black fungus is thinner; the front of an earth ear is mostly reddish-brown with a yellowish back, whereas the front of a black fungus is black and the back is grayish-white.