Cordyceps

Ophiocordyceps sinensis · Fungus

40 pairings

Cordyceps is a group of parasitic fungi prized in Chinese and Tibetan medicine, most famously the wild caterpillar fungus Ophiocordyceps sinensis, which grows from the mummified body of a moth larva high on the Tibetan Plateau. Earthy, faintly sweet and mushroomy, it is brewed into tonic teas, simmered in soups and stewed with meat as a restorative, and is one of the most expensive biological commodities on Earth.

Picking a good onedrag

Whole, hard, ochre-gold, dry-smellingDamp, musty, broken or bulked out

Shop dryMost of the trade: cultivated militaris clubs or CS-4 powder, the sane default - the arsenic finding was in wild fungus, not a fermenter. Simmer it; the softened piece is eaten.Everyday best

What the label saysSpecies named and the form given - clubs, mycelium or CS-4

The dried pieceColour dulling, a club broken or a body chipped

The clubShort, or the tip rubbed blunt

The snapFirm, bends a little, then breaks

Smell in the bagFaint and dusty, mostly plain earth

What to look for, from whole, hard, ochre-gold, dry-smelling to damp, musty, broken or bulked out.

Preparing