Matsutake - Tricholoma matsutake

Classificação científica

Reino:  Fungi

Divisão:           Basidiomycota

Classe: Agaricomycetes

Ordem:           Agaricales

Família:           Tricholomataceae

Género:           Tricholoma

Espécie:          T. matsutake

Nome binomial          Tricholoma matsutake

Matsutake (松茸?), Tricholoma matsutake, é o nome comum de um cogumelo micorrízico muito procurado que cresce na Ásia, Europa e América do Norte. É valorizada pelos japoneses por seu distinto odor apimentado.

O Matsutake cresce debaixo de árvores e são normalmente escondidos por folhas caídas. Ele forma uma relação simbiótica com as raízes de um número limitado de espécies de árvores. Sabe-se que o Matsutake cresce na China, Japão, Coreia, Finlândia e Suécia, entre outros países. No Japão, ele é normalmente associado com o Pinho Vermelho Japonês.

No Noroeste Pacífico da América do Norte, a espécie Tricholoma magnivelare é encontrado nas florestas coníferas em uma ou mais das seguintes espécies: Pseudotsuga, Abies procera, Abies magnifica, Pinus lambertiana, Pinus ponderosa ou Pinus contorta.

Na Califórnia e em partes de Oregon, ele também se associa com madeiras duras, incluindo Lithocarpus densiflorus, Arbutus, Rododendro, Gaultheria shallon e Manzanita. O T. magnivelare normalmente é chamado de Matsutake branco, visto que não tem a coloração marrom do espécime asiático.

Em 1999, N. Bergius e E. Danell relataram que o espécime sueco (Tricholoma nauseosum) e o matsutake japonês (T. matsutake) são da mesma espécie. O relatório levou a um aumento da importação de matsutake do norte da Europa para o Japão devido ao sabor similar.

O Matsutake é difícil de se encontrar, apesar de ser fácil de cultivar, além de ter um preço muito alto. A produção doméstica de matsutake do Japão tem diminuído bastante nos últimos 50 anos, devido a propagação de um pinheiro nematódeo Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, o que exerceu uma grande influência sobre o preço.

A produção anual de matsutake no Japão é, hoje, menor do que 1 000 toneladas. A demanda japonesa pelo cogumelo é em sua maior parte importada da China, Coreia, região do Noroeste Pacífico na América do Norte (norte da Califórnia, Oregon, Washington e Colúmbia Britânica) e Norte da Europa (Suécia e Finlândia).

O preço do matsutake no mercado japonês depende da sua qualidade, disponibilidade e origem. O matsutake japonês, no começo da estação, que recebe as melhores críticas, pode ultrapassar os 2 mil dólares por quilograma. Por outro lado, o valor médio do matsutake importado é cerca de 90 dólares por quilograma.

The American matsutake grows primarily under conifers in northern and montane North America. When young it is white, but it soon begins to develop brownish discolorations. It features a prominent partial veil which covers the young gills and later forms a sheathlike covering on the lower stem, with the upper edge flaring outward to form a ring.

The gills are crowded and attached to the stem, sometimes by a notch, but do not run down it. The spore print is white.

The odor of the matsutake is its most distinctive--and hard to characterize--feature. "Spicy but a little bit foul" is what comes to my mind, though I like "a provocative compromise between 'red hots' and dirty socks" (Arora, 1986, p. 191).

The matsutake taste is as distinctive as the odor: "an incredible and complex flavor you won't ever forget--even though you won't be able to adequately describe it to anyone" (Volk, 2000).

The species name Tricholoma magnivelare is used for North American matsutakes, but it is doubtful the name is accurately applied to western and Mexican mushrooms. Charles Peck coined the species name in 1878 for matsutakes he collected in New York.

Northeastern matsutake collections are generally made under jack pine (Pinus banksiana), and DNA studies have shown not only that specimens from the northeast are distinct from western and Mexican specimens, but that northeastern matsutakes are aligned with specimens from Asia and Europe identified as Tricholoma matsutake (the "true" matsutake of Asia) and Tricholoma nauseosum (the European matsutake). According to Chapela and Garbelotto (2004):

[E]vidence points consistently to the existence of three main groups of matsutake: western North America, Meoamerica and Asia-Europe-North Africa-eastern North America, with further substructuring within each group. These groups do not coincide with currently used nomenclature.

In other words, the name "Tricholoma magnivelare" probably applies to northeastern matsutakes--but should be changed to one of the older names while western and Mexican matsutakes currently lack scientific names.

Even more disturbing is the fact that differences in physical features (for example, brown caps versus white caps) appear not to correlate with significant genetic differences.

Ecology: Mycorrhizal, primarily with conifers (jack pine in northeastern North America; lodgepole pine in the Rocky Mountains; Pinus teocote and other pines in Mexico's high-elevation pine-oak forests; and ponderosa pine and other conifers Pacific Northwest and California--but also found in tanoak and madrone forests on the West Coast); growing scattered or gregariously; northern and montane North America; summer, fall, and (in warmer climates) winter.

Cap: 5-20 cm; convex becoming broadly convex or nearly flat; dry or a little sticky; white at first; soon with brownish discolorations and pressed-down fibers; the margin rolled under when young.

Gills: Attached to the stem, sometimes by means of a notch; crowded; white, developing brown or reddish brown stains and spots with age.

Stem: 4-15 cm long; up to 5 cm thick; more or less equal, or with a slightly tapered base (but not with a long, rooting base); white above the ring, colored like the cap below; partial veil white and thick, collapsing to form a sheath around the lower stem and a prominent flaring ring at the top edge of the sheath.

Flesh: White; firm; not changing on exposure.

Odor and Taste: Taste spicy; odor fragrant and distinctive (see comments above).

Spore Print: White.

Microscopic Features: Spores 5-7 x 4-6 µ; smooth; elliptical; inamyloid. Cystidia and clamp connections absent.

Swedish researchers (Bergius & Danell, 2000) have demonstrated that the Swedish Tricholoma nauseosum, illustrated in the right-hand column, is genetically identical to Tricholoma matsutake of Asia.

Although Tricholoma nauseosum is the older name, the authors suggest that the rules governing the naming of species should be broken in this case, to allow the species name to agree with the widely used common name matsutake.

Since more recent research (Chapela & Garbaletto, 2004; see comments above) suggests that the Swedish/Asian matsutake corresponds to the matsutake of northeastern North America, "Tricholoma matsutake" may eventually be the correct name for our northeastern taxon.