In the second year of the Jiading reign of the Southern Song Dynasty, the "Longquan County Annals" recorded for the first time the complete process of cultivating and dehydrating shiitake mushrooms: "using bamboo strips to hang and roast" and "using sun drying to dry spring mushrooms, also known as sun mushrooms". This document clearly points to the border area of Longquan, Qingyuan, and Jingning counties in Zhejiang Province, which is the birthplace of artificially cultivated shiitake mushrooms in the world. Faced with the survival dilemma of "nine mountains, half water, half farmland", the people in mountainous areas have gradually explored ways to preserve shiitake mushrooms through long-term collection of wild mushrooms. They found that fresh shiitake mushrooms are highly perishable, and after removing moisture through sun or charcoal roasting, they can not only be stored for a long time, but also concentrate their flavor, making the mushroom aroma more mellow.
The one who truly systematized dehydration technology was Wu Sangong, a farmer from Longyan Village in Qingyuan. Around 1130 AD, he invented the artificial cultivation technique of "chopping flowers" and established the "baking technique", which used charcoal fire to control temperature and dried shiitake mushrooms, forming the earliest dehydration process system. This technology cleverly utilizes mountainous resources: dry cedar wood is used as fuel, bamboo strips are used as drying tools, and by controlling the temperature and drying time, the moisture content of shiitake mushrooms is reduced to below 13%, ensuring no mold growth and retaining core nutrients. Wu Sangong is therefore revered as the "Mushroom God" by mushroom farmers, and his skills have been passed down from generation to generation in the mountainous areas of Zhejiang and Fujian, forming a unique "Mushroom People Culture".
The origin of dried shiitake mushrooms has always been closely linked to trade demand. During the Ming and Qing dynasties, with the development of commodity economy, dried shiitake mushrooms spread from mountainous areas to the whole country. According to legend, Liu Bowen, the national teacher of the Ming Dynasty, presented Qingyuan shiitake mushrooms to Zhu Yuanzhang. After eating them, the emperor was greatly pleased with their appearance and ordered them to be designated as tribute, with a limited monopoly in the three counties of Longqing and Jing. This royal certification doubled the value of dried shiitake mushrooms and stimulated the advancement of dehydration technology - mushroom farmers began to distinguish different processes such as sun drying, charcoal roasting, and cage steaming, and produce dried shiitake mushrooms of different specifications according to their uses. By the Qing Dynasty, mushroom farmers from Zhejiang and Fujian had traveled to over 200 counties and cities in eleven provinces, spreading the technique of dehydration to a wider area.
From ancient times to modern times, dehydration technology has continuously innovated through inheritance. After the 1950s, mechanical drying equipment replaced traditional charcoal fire, and technologies such as hot air drying and freeze-drying made the dehydration process more efficient and standardized. But the wisdom of ancient people is not outdated. Nowadays, Qingyuan shiitake mushrooms still retain some traditional craftsmanship. In 2022, its "Forest Mushroom Symbiosis" system was listed as a globally important agricultural cultural heritage. From a few words in the "Longquan County Annals" to the modern industrial system, the origin story of dehydrated shiitake mushrooms witnesses the Chinese farmers' reverence and innovation for food ingredients.
A thousand years of circulation, the fragrance of mushrooms never fades. The origin of dehydrated shiitake mushrooms in China is the crystallization of the dialogue between mountain ancestors and nature, and the fusion of traditional skills and life wisdom. Nowadays, when we open the sealed shiitake mushroom jar, the rich aroma still carries the gentle breeze of the Southern Song Dynasty mountains and forests, carrying the cultural genes spanning thousands of years.
Post time: Nov-26-2025
