Common Store Mushroom

gourmet
Written By Thomas Young

Agaricus bisporus

See artwork and accessories in our shop celebrating the Common Store Mushroom!

  • Disclaimer: Please refrain from picking and consuming mushrooms without proper guidance. If you have an interest in learning how to forage, I strongly encourage you to join your local mycological society. You can find a list of clubs across America, organized by state, on the North American Mycological Society's website.

Etymology:

  • Portobello: The literal translation of the name "portobello" is "beautiful door" in Italian, with "porto" meaning door and "bello" meaning beautiful. The origin of this name, however, remains somewhat mysterious. The most common theory suggests that it was a marketing strategy devised in the 1980s to boost mushroom sales, as the white champignon mushroom was much more common at the time (Herbst, 1995, p. 535; Harper, n.d.). This theory is supported by the fact that the term "portobello" only began to be used for mushrooms in the 1980s (Harper, n.d., Google NGram Viewer). The name is believed to have been derived either from Portobello Road in London or from a house in Panama, which was named after the 1739 Battle of Puerto Bello (The history of portobello mushrooms, n.d.). It is also possible that it is an alteration of the Italian word "pratarolo," meaning meadow mushroom (Merriam-Webster, n.d.).

  • Button Mushroom: This refers to the mushroom being picked prematurely during its button stage, before it has opened to reveal its gills, giving it a resemblance to clothing buttons. (BUTTON MUSHROOM, n.d.)

  • Agaricus bisporus: "Agaricus" comes from the Latin word "agaricum," which derives from the Greek "agarikón" (ἀγαρικόν), a term used to refer to various types of mushrooms. It is believed that "agarikón" may have originated from Sarmatia, near the Black Sea, where mushrooms commonly grew (Beekes, 2010). "Bisporus" means "having two spores," referring to this mushroom producing only two spores per basidium, the spore-bearing structure found on basidiomycete mushrooms. This is in contrast to most other basidiomycete fungi, which typically produce four spores per basidium. (arora, 1979)

Immature white, aka Button Mushroom or Champignon

Immature brown, aka Baby Bella or Cremini

Common Names:

  • Immature White:

    • Button Mushroom

    • Champignon

  • Immature Brown:

    • Baby Bella

    • Cremini

  • Fully Grown:

    • Protobello

Location: Agaricus bisporus is a globally distributed mushroom species commonly found in fields and grasslands, particularly in areas enriched with manure.

Ecological Group: The Decomposers! These fungi are secondary decomposers, indicating a preference for breaking down organic matter that has already undergone partial decomposition, such as manure and compost.

Edible? Yes! The mushroom has a rich and savory umami flavor and dense, firm texture. This flavor is intensified when cooked. Some people remove the gills from the Portobello as they can be bitter and cause a slimy texture, while others prefer keeping the gills intact for a stronger flavor.

    • The earliest documented method for consistent cultivation of A. bisporus dates back to 1707, credited to the French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort. Employing ridge farm beds and horse manure, this method revolutionized mushroom farming. It was hypothesized that the manure contained the "seeds" necessary for mushroom growth. Additionally, handfuls of manure, termed "lardons," sourced from established beds were used to propagate the mushroom—a technique reminiscent of contemporary transfer methods involving mushroom spawn. (Flegg, 1985)

    • Up until the mid 1990s, the only variety of the Common Store mushroom consumers wanted were Champignon, the immature white variety, because of their elegant, white aesthetic (O’Neill, 1998; Sagon & Sagon, 1997)

    • The Cremini, Champignon, and Portobello mushrooms all belong to the same species, Agaricus bisporus. The differences among them lie in the stages of development at which they are harvested and their specific variety of color.

    • The Common Store mushroom is a secondary decomposer, meaning it consumes already decomposed materials, such as compost or the material broken down by other mushrooms. (Stamets, 2011)

    • It is beIieved that in 1926, A Pennsylvania mushroom farmer named lou downing found a clump of mushrooms with white caps growing in their mushroom bed. This fungi would later be given the name "Champignon" or "Button mushroom” (Lane, 1982)

    • As of 2023, A. bisporus represents 97% of mushroom production in the United States (United States Department of Agriculture, 2023). In contrast, a 2018-2019 report indicates that A. bisporus comprises only about 11% of global mushroom production (Singh et al., 2020).

    • Pennsylvania produces more Agaricus mushrooms than all other states combined, accounting for approximately 63% of the annual production. California is the second-largest producer, contributing around 13% of the nation's Agaricus mushrooms (United State Department of Agriculture, 2023).

Learn More

  1. Agaricus bisporus Wikipedia

  2. Tom Volk's Fungus of the Month: Agaricus bisporus - One of my favorite resources, Tom is an amazing mycologist and well-respected within the community. Additionally, this resource features a wonderful guest author, Kelly Ivors, another mycologist who, at the time, was pursuing her Ph.D.

  3. Wild About Mushrooms Cookbook: Common Store Mushroom - Information and recipes collected by the Mycological Society of San Fransisco

  4. Mushroom Revival Podcast: Commercial Button Mushroom Production & Myco-Materials with William Goss

References

Disclaimer: Please refrain from picking and consuming mushrooms without proper guidance. If you have an interest in learning how to forage, I strongly encourage you to join your local mycological society. You can find a list of clubs across America, organized by state, on the North American Mycological Society's website.

Thomas Young
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