Oyster mushrooms stand out among fungi species for their fan-shaped, oyster-like caps. Not only do oyster mushrooms resemble oysters, but their mild flavor is seafood-like and somewhat nutty. In the wild, you can find oyster mushrooms growing on decaying wood such as beech and aspen trees. While they grow year-round, they’re most likely to fruit in mild weather after rain and sometimes release so many spores that they appear to “smoke.”
Native to Europe, North America, and Asia, oyster mushrooms have been enjoyed since ancient times and were first recorded in the West by a Dutch naturalist in 1775. Now widely cultivated, oyster mushrooms come in a range of colors, including gray, blue, yellow, pink, and white, which is why they’re sometimes called “designer mushrooms.”
