Japanese cooking incorporates many different types of mushrooms including the family known as shimeji. Several types of shimeji mushrooms are used in Japanese cuisine including the delicate enoki, which have long white stems and tiny white caps, and the bunashimeji, pictured here, with a round brown cap and thicker stems. Shimeji mushrooms do not taste good raw but are delicious when cooked, often in stir fry or soups. They retain a firmness and a nutty flavor and compliment many types of Japanese flavors. Though difficult to cultivate, shimeji mushrooms are inexpensive produce in Japanese grocery stores and find themselves in a number of home cooked recipes.