Mushrooms are quite remarkable due to their many uses. There are many mushrooms that are not useful to us at all. There are also a few that are harmful to humans. If eaten, such mushrooms can kill you.
But there are also delicious varieties of mushrooms that you can eat. You can cook them or use them as an ingredient in all kinds of dishes. Mushrooms have also been popular in the world of medicine.
For centuries, they have been used for treating asthma and other common diseases. More and more countries are turning towards mushrooms to treat different diseases.
An extremely popular mycorrhizal mushroom found in Europe, North America, New Zealand, and South Africa. The porcini mushroom, unlike its multiple origins, is a cooking ingredient mostly used in Italian and French cuisine.
The mushroom can grow from 1 to 10 inches in diameter when cooked infuses the dish with a distinct earthy flavor. This earthy flavor that increases the umami of an Italian pasta dish is the reason behind its popularity.
Nowadays the porcini mushroom has been popularized as a vegan meat substitute due to its meaty texture and high protein content. Unfortunately, the porcini being a mycorrhizal mushroom is extremely hard to cultivate.
Therefore, most of the porcini mushrooms found in the worldwide market are in dried form.
Our world holds more than fifty thousand mushroom species. Out of the fifty thousand only about 20 varieties are flavorful enough to use while cooking.
And out of the twenty different varieties, only the shiitake mushroom has a taste as well as texture similar to a porcini mushroom.
But fear not, even though the perfect substitute for a porcini mushroom can only be a shiitake mushroom. There are still other alternatives like a packet of mixed mushrooms or a button mushroom that you can use.
Porcini Mushrooms Substitute
Some types of mushrooms are so easy to grow that you can plant them anywhere. Such varieties don’t require any special conditions for growing.
They don’t need a special kind of soil or a controlled amount of water. But then there are mushrooms like porcini that can only grow in certain parts of the world.
As a result, these mushrooms are not easily available everywhere. But if someone wants to cook a dish that uses porcini mushrooms as an ingredient, they can find a substitute.
With the help of substitutes, you can get the authentic taste of a dish even if you can’t find a certain ingredient.
Although porcini mushrooms have quite a unique taste, you can still find a few alternative ingredients to use in their place. Here are the substitutes of porcini mushrooms that you can use in your dishes:
1. Shiitake mushroom
If you couldn’t find fresh or dried porcini mushrooms, the next best option would be using the East Asian Shiitake mushrooms. Similar to a Porcini mushroom, the Shiitake mushroom is also a worldwide sensation.
Shiitake mushrooms are not mycorrhizal and, as a result, are much easier to cultivate. Almost 80 percent of the world’s Shiitake is cultivated in Japan and the other 20 percent is shared between the United States, Canada, Singapore, and China.
Shiitake is a dark brown mushroom whose cap can grow from two to four inches in diameter. When cooked, the Shiitake mushroom gives a nutty, earthy, flavor to your dish.
And similar to its alternative, the porcini mushroom, the Shiitake mushroom also has a meaty texture.
Aside from its popularity in cuisine, the Shiitake mushroom is also known for its health benefits. The mushroom can help in fighting cancer, boost the immune system, and is good for heart patients.
Due to the many benefits of the Shiitake mushroom, it is becoming more and more popular all over the world. Some people want to try Shiitake mushrooms because of their meaty taste.
It can be used as a substitute for meat in vegetarian dishes. Although the medicinal benefits of Shiitake mushroom require a lot of research, it can be eaten for its taste alone.
Since Shiitake mushroom has become so popular, finding it can also be difficult.
If you live in a country where mushrooms are not a part of everyday meals, there’s a high possibility that Shiitake mushrooms won’t be available in a grocery store near you.
But if that’s the case, you can go through other substitutes mentioned in this article.
2. Mixed mushrooms
We have added mixed mushrooms as the second-best option because of two things.
Mixed mushrooms are widely available in all markets worldwide. No matter where you live if you have a fairly large market nearby you will most definitely find a pack of fresh or dry mixed mushrooms.
Other than being widely available, a pack of mixed mushrooms will also have a portion of porcini mushrooms and shiitake mushrooms. Having a portion is still better than having nothing.
Using mixed mushrooms is ideal for people who love mushrooms. You can get the taste of different types of mushrooms in your dish. You can also get the health benefits of all of the mushrooms.
You won’t have to worry about the authenticity of the dish as you will be adding a portion of porcini mushrooms to it. If you choose mixed mushrooms, you won’t have to worry about availability either as they can be found almost everywhere.
When it comes to mixed mushrooms, the choices are endless. You can make multiple dishes with a single pack of mixed mushrooms. You can also use them as toppings on your pizza or put them in a sandwich.
3. Button mushrooms
Aside from its year-round availability, the button mushroom is one of the most cultivated varieties of mushrooms in the world. They are also the most commonly used mushrooms.
A button mushroom is fairly nutritional and can be used in pizza making, grilling, stewing, roasting, or sautéing.
Unlike porcini or shiitake mushroom, a button mushroom lacks an earthy flavor but still has a slightly meaty texture.
A button mushroom acts as a great umami booster, and as a result, can be used as a Porcini mushroom replacement.
Whether you are making a vegetarian dish or just need toppings for your pizza, button mushroom is the ideal option. Regardless of where you live, you can find it pretty easily.
If you are a mushroom lover, there’s a chance that you already have button mushrooms in your freezer. If that’s the case, you won’t even have to make a trip to the grocery store to find a substitute for porcini mushrooms.
You can just get the button mushrooms out of your freezer and continue making your dish.
Although button mushrooms are quite tasty, they are not exactly like porcini mushrooms. This is why the authentic taste of a dish that is made with porcini mushrooms cannot be achieved with button mushrooms.
If you like button mushrooms, you can use them in your dish. But if you want to get the authentic porcini mushroom taste, then you should try finding shiitake mushrooms. They taste almost exactly the same as porcini mushrooms.
Conclusion
Getting the right substitute for certain ingredients can be difficult. When it comes to porcini mushrooms, there is only one good option and that is shiitake mushrooms.
But the other alternatives mentioned in this article are also good for certain dishes. You can try them out and see if they work for you.
The advantage of getting mixed mushrooms or button mushrooms is that you can also use them in a number of other dishes.