matsutake
noun
mat·su·ta·ke ˌmät-su̇-ˈtä-kē 
-kā
plural matsutake also matsutakes
: a large brownish edible Japanese mushroom (Tricholoma matsutake) having firm flesh and a spicy aroma
also : a large whitish mushroom (Tricholoma magnivelere synonym Armillaria ponderosa) of northern North America that is similar to the Japanese matsutake
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Yunnan province, the matsutake is sold for about $70 a pound — still much cheaper than most Japanese varieties, though prices have doubled in the past 12 months. 
Lyric Li, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2022 Her 2014 feature debut, The Last Season, follows two former soldiers who forage matsutake mushrooms in Oregon and earned her a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination. Katherine Cusumano, Outside Online, 15 July 2022 But the standout at Brady Ishiwata Williams’s new restaurant is his chawanmushi—silky and savory, perfectly set, and crowned with matsutake slices. Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 30 Dec. 2021 Aromatically, this wine is earthy, with scents of dark plums, matsutake mushrooms, and wild roses. oregonlive, 9 Apr. 2020 The new restaurant’s name, Matsu, was inspired by matsutake mushrooms, which are pine mushrooms that are native to Japan but grow wild in Southern California forests. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2019 In the Cascade Mountains, porcinis (aka king boletes) and matsutakes (aka pine mushroom) are poking up earlier than normal too. oregonlive.com, 11 Aug. 2019 Part of the eight-course tasting menu is an oyster dish with xao long bao, cucumber dashi, tosaka nori, and matsutake shoyu. Melanie Kaplan, Fortune, 15 June 2019 The mushrooms, an expensive variety known as songyi in Korea and matsutake in Japan, are prized for their intense flavor. Andrew Jeong, WSJ, 20 Sep. 2018 See More
Lyric Li, Washington Post, 23 Aug. 2022 Her 2014 feature debut, The Last Season, follows two former soldiers who forage matsutake mushrooms in Oregon and earned her a Film Independent Spirit Award nomination. Katherine Cusumano, Outside Online, 15 July 2022 But the standout at Brady Ishiwata Williams’s new restaurant is his chawanmushi—silky and savory, perfectly set, and crowned with matsutake slices. Ali Francis, Bon Appétit, 30 Dec. 2021 Aromatically, this wine is earthy, with scents of dark plums, matsutake mushrooms, and wild roses. oregonlive, 9 Apr. 2020 The new restaurant’s name, Matsu, was inspired by matsutake mushrooms, which are pine mushrooms that are native to Japan but grow wild in Southern California forests. Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 Aug. 2019 In the Cascade Mountains, porcinis (aka king boletes) and matsutakes (aka pine mushroom) are poking up earlier than normal too. oregonlive.com, 11 Aug. 2019 Part of the eight-course tasting menu is an oyster dish with xao long bao, cucumber dashi, tosaka nori, and matsutake shoyu. Melanie Kaplan, Fortune, 15 June 2019 The mushrooms, an expensive variety known as songyi in Korea and matsutake in Japan, are prized for their intense flavor. Andrew Jeong, WSJ, 20 Sep. 2018 See More Word History
Etymology
Japanese matsu-take, matsudake, from matsu pine tree + take mushroom
First Known Use
1883, in the meaning defined above