Judas Ear (Auricularia Auricula-Judae) Gourmet Mushroom Culture

Auricularia auricula-judae, which has the recommended English name jelly ear,[2] also known as Judas’s ear or Jew’s ear, is a species of fungus in the order Auriculariales. Basidiocarps (fruit bodies) are brown, gelatinous, and have a noticeably ear-like shape. They grow on wood, especially elder. The specific epithet is derived from the belief that Judas Iscariot hanged himself from an elder tree; the common name “Judas’s ear” was largely eclipsed by the corruption “Jew’s ear”. The fungus can be found throughout the year in Europe, where it normally grows on wood of broadleaf trees and shrubs. It was formerly thought to be a variable species with a worldwide distribution, but molecular research, based on cladistic analysis of DNA sequences, has shown that non-European species are distinct. The cultivated “A. auricula-judae” of China and East Asia is Auricularia heimuer[3] and, to a lesser extent, A. villosula.[4] The North American “A. auricula-judae” on broadleaf trees is Auricularia angiospermarum, with Auricularia americana on conifers. Auricularia auricula-judae was used in folk medicine as recently as the 19th century for complaints including sore throats, sore eyes and jaundice, and as an astringent. It is edible, but not widely consumed. What does jelly ear fungus look like? Ear-shaped bracket fungus resembling tan-brown, gelatinous, jelly-like flesh. Bracket: at first cup-shaped, developing lobes that make them look uncannily like human ears. Tan-brown and velvety on the outside, with a wrinkled, shiny inner surface. Individual lobes can grow to between 3 and 10cm across. Rubbery, gelatinous flesh. Gills/spores: spores are sausage-shaped with a white spore print. Not to be confused with: bay cup (Peziza badia) which grows on the ground and is poisonous; and tripe fungus or grey brain fungus (Auricularia mesenterica) whose fruit bodies are smaller, paler, and hairier.