General Information
The Portabella mushroom is one of the most imposing mushrooms in size. It has a rounded, earthen tan flat cap with near black gills on its underside. Its stem is thick, white and edible. The Portabella mushroom has a very memorable, rich and meaty texture and flavor, which it retains even after cooking.
History
The Portabella mushroom is of Italian origin and gets its namesake from Portobello, a town in Italy. The first documented cultivation of Agricus bisporus was made by French botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort in 1707. Portabellas grow stacked in specially designed rooms with controlled temperature, humidity and fresh air. They propagate with the assistance of agar, grain spawn and pasteurized substrates. Different strains and growing times allow this one singular species to achieve distinguished and different variations in color, size and flavor. Wild Portabella mushrooms thrive on manure heaps, in garden wastes and along roadsides.
